0167.3 - PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT BOARD MEETINGS

The Board of Education recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on District matters.

Agenda Item

Any person or group wishing to place an item on the agenda shall register their intent with the District Administrator no later than five (5) days prior to the meeting and include:

1. name and address of the participant;
2. group affiliation, if and when appropriate;
3. topic to be addressed.

Such requests shall be subject to the approval of the District Administrator and the Board President.

Public-Participation Section of the Meeting

To permit fair and orderly public expression, the Board shall provide a period for public participation at every regular meeting of the Board and publish rules to govern such participation in Board meetings.

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

The Board invests in its President or other presiding officer authority to terminate remarks of any individual who does not adhere to the rules established above. It should be remembered that Board meetings are meetings held in public, not public meetings. Any person who disturbs good order may be required to leave unless the established procedure is followed; members of the public will not be recognized by the President as the Board conducts its official business.

The presiding officer shall be guided by the following rules:

1. Public participation shall be permitted at the discretion of the presiding officer.

2. Anyone having a legitimate interest in the actions of the Board may participate during the public portion of a meeting.

3. Participants must be recognized by the presiding officer and will be requested to preface their comments by an announcement of their name; address; and group affiliation, if and when appropriate.

4. Each statement made by a participant shall be limited to five (5) minutes duration.

5. No participant may speak more than once on the same topic unless all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard.

6. Participants shall direct all comments to the Board and not to staff or other participants. 

7. All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer; no person may address or question Board members individually.

8. The presiding officer may:

   1. interrupt, warn, or terminate a participant's statement when the statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, or irrelevant;

   2. request any individual to 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 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;

   5. waive these rules with the approval of the Board when necessary for the protection of privacy or the administration of the Board's business.

9. Video recording, filming, or photographing the Board's open meetings is permitted; no such recording is permitted during closed session meetings. Audio recording is permitted during closed session meetings. The person operating the equipment should contact the District Administrator prior to the Board meeting to review possible placement of the equipment, and must agree to abide by the following conditions:

   1. No obstructions are created between the Board and the audience.

   2. No interviews are conducted in the meeting room while the Board is in session.

   3. No commentary, adjustment of equipment, or positioning of operators is made that would distract either the Board or members of the audience or otherwise disrupt the meeting while the Board is in session.

Revised 9/27/11
Revised 8/6/12

© Neola 2011