PROCEDURES FOR ADDRESSING THE BOARD
Who May Address the Board of Education:
I. Residents of the school district.
II. Members of the staff and student body.
III. Parents of students enrolled in the school district.
IV. Individuals who have been requested by the superintendent of schools or members of the board of education to present information on a given subject.
V. Nonresidents who have requested and received permission of the president of the board of education or the superintendent of schools in the prescribed manner.
Discussion of Agenda Items:
Only items on the written board agenda will be discussed at any meeting unless the board of education, by a majority action, approves the placing of an emergency item on the agenda as set forth in Policy 204.02.
To Place an Item on the Agenda:
I. An applicant may place an item on the agenda by filing a written request with the superintendent of schools no latter than noon on Thursday preceding a regularly scheduled Monday board meeting. The written request should include the name, address, and telephone number of the person making the request; the name of the organization or group represented, if any; a statement of action to be requested of the board of education; and any pertinent background information leading to the request.
Time and Placement of the Agenda:
I. The superintendent of schools, upon receipt of a properly executed request, shall set a date for inclusion of the requested item on the agenda as soon as practicable, bearing in mind such considerations as allowing time to gather pertinent information, to assemble members of the staff who have knowledge of the subject, etc. The superintendent of schools shall notify the individual or group of the date, time, and place of the meeting at which the item will be considered.
To Speak on an Item on the Agenda:
I. Stand during the visitor's period and be recognized by the presiding officer. :
II. State your name and address.
III. State the subject about which you wish to speak.
IV. Your name will be placed under that subject on the agenda and you will be called upon when that subject comes up for discussion.
To Speak on an Item not on the Agenda:
I. Stand during the visitor’s period and be recognized by the presiding officer. :
II. State your name and address.
III. State the subject and present the message about which you wish to speak. No action will be taken by the board of education on items brought up during the visitor's period. If action is desired, the subject should be placed on the agenda of a future meeting in the manner described in this policy titled "To Place an Item on the Agenda."
Time Limit for Speakers:
I. A time limit of five minutes per speaker will be allowed. Not more than a total of twenty minutes will be allowed for the presentation of any specific topic. These time limits may be changed by a majority vote of the board of education. When more than one person is supporting a specific topic, care should be taken not to repeat comments supporting like items. Groups are encouraged to select one speaker to present their message.
Conduct and Remarks Considered Out of Order:
I. Undue interruption or other interference with the orderly conduct of business cannot be allowed. Degrading or abusive remarks are always out of order. A speaker's privilege to address the board of education may be terminated by the board president if he or she persists in making unacceptable statements or in conducting oneself in an offensive manner as judged by the board of education.
Questions and Comments by the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools:
I. Members of the board of education and the superintendent of schools may question a speaker or make comments in response to the speaker's remarks. The speaker shall direct all questions to the chairperson. The chairperson may respond to the question, may refer the question to another member of the board of education or to the superintendent of schools, or may choose not to provide a response to a question at that time.
Charges, Complaints, or Challenges:
I. At a public meeting of the board of education, no person shall orally initiate charges or complaints against individual employees of the school district or challenge instructional materials used by the district. All such charges, complaints, or challenges shall be presented to the superintendent of schools or the board of education in writing, signed by the complainant. All such charges, if presented to the members of the board of education, shall be referred to the superintendent of schools for investigation and report.
Circulation of Materials:
I. Any written or printed material to be circulated at a board meeting must be submitted to the superintendent by the Thursday preceding the meeting. This material will be transmitted to the members of the board of education for their review and disposition. The superintendent of schools and/or the president of the board of education will determine if copies will be made available to all constituents attending the meeting.
Public’s Right to Hear:
I. The board will, upon request, make a reasonable effort to accommodate the public’s right to hear the discussion and testimony presented at the meeting.
Recording Devices:
I. Members of the public may use recording devices (tape recorder, video camera, etc.) to record any part of a meeting of a public body, except for closed sessions. No recording, other than note taking, shall be done without informing the President in advance. The President shall control the placement of the recording device so the device does not obstruct the view of Board members or other members of the public attending the meeting and does not otherwise interfere with the meeting.
Access to Written Materials:
I. At least one copy of all reproducible written material to be discussed at an open meeting will be made available at the meeting for examination and copying by members of the public.
The president of the board of education, being the chairperson of the board meeting, shall have the authority to make minor exceptions to this policy as a topic is being presented, as long as impartiality is shown to all interested parties, or he or she may interrupt a presentation to request the members of the board of education to consider minor changes. Copies of this policy should be made available to all individuals requesting to appear before the board of education.
