Board of Trustees

B275 - PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT BOARD MEETINGS

The School Board receives public comment on agenda items out of the Board’s legal duty and a sincere desire to improve the quality of the School Corporation’s educational program.

Subject to the reasonable rules and registration process described herein, 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 two (2) minutes to speak.
3. Persons wishing to address the Board on an agenda item shall register twenty-four (24) hours ahead of the scheduled meeting time by completing the appropriate form. The registration form will include the name of the person(s) providing comment, the organization represented (if any), and identify the agenda item to be addressed.
4. No person may speak more than once on the same topic.
5. In order to receive public comment on all agenda items scheduled for final action, the Board will take speakers on a first-come, first-served basis according to the date and time of registration. If the overall time allotment does not allow for accommodation of all speakers, comment will rotate through agenda items to assure the Board hears comment on all agenda items. For example, the Board would hear comment from the first person to register to speak regarding agenda item 1, then the first person to register to speak regarding agenda item 2, and so on and so forth for each agenda item scheduled for final action at the meeting. The Board would then repeat that process, moving to the second, third, fourth, etc., person registered to speak on each agenda item until all registered speakers have spoken or the thirty (30) minute time limit expires, whichever occurs first.

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.