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TIME, PLACE, AND MANNER GUIDELINES FOR REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS AND PUBLIC COMMENTS
Approved: 06-13-22, Reviewed 01-13-25, as incorporated in MSBA Policy #206

Welcome. The School Board recognizes the value of obtaining input from community members on matters that are properly before the School Board. To that end, the School Board welcomes letters, emails, and phone calls from community members. For those who prefer to address the School Board directly, the Board typically sets aside time for public comment from community members at regularly scheduled board meetings. Time for public comments during School Board meetings is not a requirement of the law; it is something the School Board chooses to provide at Regular School Board meetings.

If a Regular School Board meeting is changed in date and/or time, the Board of Education will allow a Public Comment period to resume according to the parameters outlined below and as determined by the board. This change ensures that there will be one public comment period, per month, at a scheduled meeting of the Board of Education of ISD 181.

Enclosed is some general information about the public comment session, including the purpose of the public comment session, the procedures that apply, and prohibited conduct. The procedures are designed to ensure that the public comment period is orderly, legal, and efficient.

Purpose. The purpose of a public comment period is to give community members an opportunity to provide input directly to the School Board about issues that fall within the School Board’s areas of responsibility. For this reason, comments must be directed to the School Board. Public comment is not a time for citizens to speak to the community or the audience.

Written Request to Speak. The School Board requires that individuals who want to speak during public comment submit a written request to speak before and during the public comment period.

• The written request card will include: the individual’s name; check boxes requesting additional optional information (Ex.if the individual is a current student; whether or not the individual has a child attending school in the District; whether the individual is employed by the District; if the individual is a community member) and a brief narrative of the agenda item or issue being addressed that the individual wishes to discuss during the public comment period is required.

Must Be Recognized. The School Board Chair will recognize one speaker at a time, and will rule out of order individuals who have not been recognized. Only those individuals who have been recognized by the Chair will be allowed to speak during the public comment period.

Time Limit. Each speaker is permitted to speak for up to three minutes in total. One speaker may not give time to another speaker.

Cumulative Presentations. The School Board discourages cumulative presentations, meaning presentations by multiple individuals on the same topic.

Prohibited Conduct. The following conduct is prohibited during a public school board meeting, including during the public comment period:
• Speakers may not discuss or disclose any private educational data on any current or former student. As a result, speakers may not identify any current or former student during public comment. The only exception is that a parent who is speaking may choose to discuss private educational data on his or her own child.

• Speakers may not make allegations, charges, or complaints against any student or employee. If a person wishes to make an allegation or to file a charge or complaint against a student or employee, the person should make the allegation, charge, or complaint to the Superintendent or to the individual designated in District policy to receive the allegation, charge, or complaint.
   
• Speakers may not make comments or gestures that are threatening, profane, lewd, vulgar, obscene, harassing, or abusive.
   
• Speakers may not make personal attacks against others, including, but not limited to, any student, parent, community member, employee, or School Board member.
   
• Speakers may not make comments that are defamatory, or that would violate federal or state law or the privacy rights of an individual.
   
• Speakers may not make comments related to pending contract negotiations or to pending litigation to which the District is a party, including grievance proceedings.
   
• Speakers may not publicly campaign for a political candidate during public comment.
   
• Speakers may not engage in conduct that disrupts the School Board meeting, or that otherwise impedes the School Board’s ability to conduct its business in an orderly and efficient fashion. The following are examples of conduct that is disruptive:
  • Making comments that incite violence;
  • Making comments that instill fear or cause a material and substantial disruption to school operations;
  • Interrupting a speaker who has been recognized;
  •  Interrupting the School Board Chair or any other Board member or school official who has been recognized and is speaking;
  • Holding up a sign or displaying banners with messaging that violates district policies 512 and 431. This messaging must not create a safety hazard or impede another person’s ability to see or participate in the board meeting process.
  • Cheering, booing, vocalizing approval, or vocalizing disapproval for a speaker during the speaker’s presentation;
  • Clapping during a speaker’s presentation;
  • Addressing the audience rather than the School Board;
  • Bringing a weapon into the meeting room;
  • Violating room capacity requirements;
  • Violating any law or District policy

Violations. If a speaker violates any of the procedures or ground rules that have been covered, the Board Chair will rule the speaker out of order.

• If the speaker is presenting to the School Board, the Board Chair may require the speaker to immediately end his or her presentation.
   
• If the speaker persists in violating any procedure or ground rule, the speaker will be directed to leave the premises and not return, a no trespass order may be issued, and a referral will be made to law enforcement.
   
• If repeated disruptions occur during the public comment period, the School Board may immediately end the public comment period. If that occurs, citizens may use alternative avenues of communication to share their views with the School Board, including written communications.
   
• The School Board Chair may also call a recess and may order that the room be cleared until the meeting resumes.
   

Superintendent Response after Public Comment. Following public comment, the School Board may ask the Superintendent or a designee to respond or provide clarifying comments to the School Board. As a general matter, the School Board will not act on any comments that were made during a meeting and do not relate directly to an agenda item for the meeting.

School Board Minutes. School board minutes will reflect the number of public speakers that address the board.