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Meetings & Public Comment

Public Comment at Monthly Meetings

Subject to the reasonable rules and registration process described below, the Board shall allow members of the public, physically present at a meeting, to provide oral comment before the Board takes final action on a topic. The Board may choose to allow public comment during an electronic meeting held during a declared emergency or local disaster.

  1. To allow for an efficient meeting, the total amount of time dedicated to public comment shall not exceed thirty (30) minutes. The Board may increase the time allotted for public comment in order to meet obligations under law.
  2. The Board shall allot each person providing public comment three (3) minutes to speak.
  3. Persons wishing to address the Board on an agenda item or other topics germane to Board business shall register up to five minutes before the scheduled meeting time by completing the appropriate sign-in form. The registration form will include the name of the person(s) providing comment, the organization represented (if any), and if they have a student currently attending the district.
  4. No person may speak more than once..
  5. In order to receive public comment the Board will take speakers on a first-come, first-served basis according to the time of registration. If the overall time allotment does not allow for accommodation of all speakers, The board has discretion to extend the public comment time through a motion and vote

The purpose of public comment is to give the Board members as much information as possible, not to engage in debate. Board members or administrators may provide answers to questions asked during public comment if the information is readily available and not confidential. Often, however, questions will not be answered, but taken under advisement and answers may be returned at a later time.

The Board will not tolerate comments that are: threatening, harassing, illegal, obscene, defamatory, personal attacks, or on a topic outside of the agenda. Comments should be directed to the Board, not an individual Board member.

Nothing in this policy prohibits the Board from taking reasonable steps to maintain order in a meeting, including removal of any person who is willfully disruptive of the meeting.