The Board encourages courteous and respectful public comment at Board meetings. All speakers must conduct themselves in a civil manner. Obscene language, harassing language, defamatory statements, and threats of violence are prohibited. All participants are required to comply with the District Code of Conduct. 

An individual wishing to address the Board at a meeting should submit a request to the District Office, (or through district website) by the Wednesday prior to the meeting date. The individual will provide their name, address, and the topic they wish to address. The BOE president in consultation with the Superintendent has the right to deny the request if the matter has not first been addressed by the proper school personnel or administration. (chain of command) 

During Public Comment, please note the following:

Citizens are allowed up to three minutes to address the Board and share viewpoints on district or school-wide concerns.

No speaker(s) may forfeit all or part of their time to increase another speaker’s time above their allotted three minutes. 

No Board discussion shall be held and no action shall be taken on non-agenda items.  The Board can only take action or have discussion on items that are posted on the agenda.  

The Board President, when necessary, may direct the Superintendent to investigate item(s) and report back to the Board.  

When appropriate, the Superintendent or Board President will provide specific factual information in response to inquiries by members of the public. 

A total of 30 minutes may be allotted for public comment. In the event that there are more individuals requesting to speak during public comment than the allotted time, the District Clerk will have the discretion to select speakers using a random selection process. 

Expectations for Public Comment at Regular Board Meetings

Individuals who choose to participate in the public comment period should note that they agree to and are bound by the terms outlined in this policy and must conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the district Code of Conduct. Should individuals act in a manner inconsistent with district protocols, this policy, and/or the Code of Conduct, they may lose the privilege of the floor at the meeting and at future meetings.

During public comment, speakers may comment on matters related to district educational programs, business, and operations. Comments related to specific personnel or students are not permitted during public comment, this includes the use of personnel and student names, or identifiable information such as job titles, grade levels, schools. etc. In order to protect individual rights, comments that are personal in nature should be brought to the attention of the Board President and/or Superintendent privately or in writing.

Generally, the Board does not respond to items presented by or questions raised by speakers during public comment. The Superintendent or Board President may provide a response in writing where it is warranted. The Superintendent or Board President may determine the need to correct inaccurate and/or misinformation that is shared during public comment.

The President shall be responsible for the orderly conduct of the meeting and shall rule on such matters as the time to be allowed for public comment and the appropriateness of the subject being presented. The President shall have the right to discontinue any public comment which violates this policy.Board