PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT GOVERNING BOARD MEETINGS | Policy Manual

0169.1 - PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT GOVERNING BOARD MEETINGS

There is no right for the public to participate in any regular or special meeting of the Governing Board.

Whether public participation shall be permitted at any regular or special meeting of the Governing Board shall be determined by the Governing Board.

When public participation is permitted at any regular or special meeting of the Governing Board, public participation shall be placed on the agenda at the end of all old and new business for a period not to exceed a total of fifteen (15) minutes.

The presiding officer of each Governing Board meeting at which public participation is permitted shall administer the rules of the Governing Board for its conduct.

The presiding officer shall be guided by the following rules:

Public participation shall be permitted as indicated on the order of business which shall be at the end of all old and new business.
Individuals may not register others to speak during public participation.
Participants shall be recognized by the presiding officer and shall be requested to preface the participant’s comments by an announcement of the participant’s name, address, and group affiliation when appropriate.
Public participation shall be limited to a period not to exceed a total of fifteen (15) minutes.
Within the maximum fifteen (15) minute public participation period, a participant shall be permitted to speak in the order in which the participant’s name appears on the sign-in sheet until the fifteen (15) minute period expires. Upon expiration of the fifteen (15) minutes period, there shall be no further public participation.
Each statement made by a participant shall be limited to three (3) minutes duration.
During the portion of the meeting designated for public participation, no participant may speak more than once on the same topic unless all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard.
All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer and no participant may address and/or question Governing Board members individually.
Tape and/or video recordings are permitted. The person operating the recorder shall contact the Superintendent prior to the Governing Board meeting to review possible placement of the equipment, and shall agree to abide by the following conditions:
1. No obstructions are created between the Governing Board and the audience;
2. No interviews are conducted in the meeting room while the Governing Board is in session; and
3. No commentary, adjustment of equipment, or positioning of operators is made that would distract either the Governing Board or members of the audience while the Governing Board is in session.
The presiding officer may:
1. Interrupt, warn, or terminate a participant's session when they make comments that are repetitive, obscene, and/or comments that constitute a true threat (i.e., statements meant to frighten or intimidate one (1) or more specified persons into believing that they will be seriously harmed by the speaker or someone acting at the speaker's behest);
2. Request any individual to stop speaking and/or leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decorum;
3. Request the assistance of law enforcement officers in the removal of a disorderly person when that person’s conduct interferes with the conduct and/or orderly progress of the meeting;
4. Call for a recess or an adjournment to another time when the lack of public decorum so interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting as to warrant such action; and/or
5. Waive these rules, with the approval of the Governing Board when necessary for the protection of privacy and/or the administration of the Governing Board’s business.

The Governing Board may permit individuals to attend meetings remotely through live broadcast; however, public participation will be limited to those who are in attendance at the meeting site only. The Governing Board is not responsible for any technology failures that prevent or disrupt any individual from attending remotely.