The DSISD Board of Trustees encourages comments from members of the public and employees of the district. Every posted board meeting will have a Public Forum for items that are on the posted agenda for that meeting. Currently, each speaker, including a group’s representative, will be given 3 minutes. Persons using a translator will be given 6 minutes. Speakers wishing to address multiple issues may only address the board one time. The Board will listen to comments but will address each topic when they are reached on the agenda.

During regular board meetings, the Board shall permit public comment on any topic, regardless of whether the topic is an agenda item that is posted with notice of the meeting. At all other meetings, including special meetings such as workshops or agenda review meetings, public comments will only be heard on agenda items. The president or presiding officer may make adjustments to public comment procedures, including adjusting when public comment will occur during the meeting, reordering agenda items, continuing agenda items to a later meeting, providing expanded opportunity for public comment, establishing an overall time limit for public comment and adjusting the time allotted to each speaker, etc. However, no individual shall be given less than one minute to make comments. According to the Texas Open Meetings Act, the Board may not discuss or act upon any issues that are not posted on the meeting’s agenda.

Persons seeking to participate in Public Forum must complete this form describing the agenda item or non-agenda topic to be presented to the Board.  The form must be turned in online no later than three (3) hours before the meeting's posted start time.

If comments include a complaint involving a district employee or student, the speaker shall refrain from mentioning the employee or student by name (other than the speaker's student). The Board has adopted complaint policies that are designed to provide a prompt and equitable resolution of complaints and concerns.  Copies of DSISD policies (BED (Legal and Local)) regarding public participation in board meetings and grievance/complaint procedures (Policies DGBA, FNG, GF (Legal and Local)) are available on the Dripping Springs ISD website or can be made available by contacting Superintendent’s Executive Assistant at 512.858.3002. 

During the Public Forum section of the meeting, board members will listen to comments but, as the designated spokesperson, only the president, or presiding officer, may respond to the speaker if required. Those responses are limited to:

• Specific factual information,
• Recitation of existing policy,
• Referring the speaker to applicable board policy,
• Placing the item on a future board agenda for discussion, if not listed on the current board agenda, or
• Referring the speaker to the appropriate administrator.

Speakers shall be heard on a first-come, first-served basis and shall not be permitted to relinquish time to another person.