School Board Meeting Procedures

Please Pick Up a Copy Of The Meeting Agenda

The agenda contains a list of all the subjects to be discussed by the board. Each subject will be brought before the board in the order printed in the agenda unless the agenda is amended by board action. The board will vote on most items but some may be for information or discussion only.

Note: Any instructions from the Board President regarding public comment at this meeting.

The board president conducts each meeting of the board.

The president may place time limitations on speakers, limit the number of speakers, or take other actions to assure that the meeting is conducted in a fair and efficient manner.

The board president may provide a variety of instructions regarding the conduct of the meeting and everyone is expected to abide by those requests. Specific directions on how to be involved in board meetings are included in this brochure.

Please . . .

Don’t stray from the agenda item being considered.

The board cannot act on topics that are not on the agenda. Comments that stray from the agenda item under discussion may be interrupted by the board president.

Do not comment on the performance of individual staff members.

You are speaking at a public meeting and your comments may appear in the newspapers and other news media. Be aware that school employees are private citizens with the same legal protections everyone has against defamatory comments. If you have a complaint regarding the practices of any staff member, those comments should be directed to the staff member involved and his or her immediate supervisor.

Avoid presenting questions to other members of the public.

Individuals presenting their views to the board should not be subject to ridicule or interrogation by other members of their community. Direct your comments to the board and encourage them to follow-up on the issues you present.

Board Meeting Protocol . . .

To be added to the agenda:

Regular agenda items are to be submitted in writing to the superintendent by 3:00 p.m. on the Thursday preceding a regular meeting. (Board Policy 2-9)

To participate when you have not requested to be on the agenda:

In some board meetings the agenda will state that comments or questions are solicited from the public. In all other meetings the audience is attending a “meeting held in public” but not a “town meeting”. That means you are not allowed to be involved in the meeting unless requested to do so by the board president.

Audience Comments:

It has been the recent practice of this board to allow for comments from the audience at selected times. The board agenda item “recognition of visitors” is one of those times. If you have not been able to get on the agenda you may request to be recognized at that time by filling out the proper form and handing it to one of the board members or superintendents prior to the start of the meeting. It is also possible to be recognized from the floor by courteously raising your hand and waiting to be recognized by the board president.

We apologize if, due to time constraints and orderly conduct of the meeting, we cannot provide time at this meeting for you. Feel free to request agenda time in the future or provide comments in writing to any board member or member of the school staff via mail, email, or telephone.

A board member may take one or all of the following actions:

• informally discuss the issue with the superintendent or other administrators to consider whether policies or rules should be changed
• request that the board review the specific policies that relate to the situation
• propose new policies for the board’s consideration