The Board President or appropriate presiding officer will ask, at the appropriate time as specified on the agenda, those members of the public attending the Board meeting if any of them have something to bring to the attention of the Board. All those wishing to address the Board will be subject to the following procedural regulations:
- The Board President will conduct Board meetings in an orderly manner. Board members and others in attendance will comply with the directions and requests of the presiding officer.
- Speakers are required to complete a card prepared by the Board to assist in the accuracy of meeting minutes. The purpose of public comment is to discuss the business of the Board and the District. The Board President will designate when public comment cards will no longer be accepted.
- The public participation portion of the meeting shall be limited to one hour normally. An exception will be made so that no one's right to address the Board will be denied.
- Each person will be allowed to speak for up to three minutes, except where the number of speakers exceeds the time limit identified immediately above. In those instances, the Board President may either reduce the three-minute limit to a two minute limit for each speaker or waive the one-hour time limit and establish a longer period.
- The Board President may give speakers additional time up to three minutes to account for language translations.
Opportunities to address the Board are through:
- Public hearings. Scheduled public hearings may be held on specified topics under consideration by the Board.
- Public Comment. The Board will designate a time for public comment at each meeting of the Board or a standing committee. During this time, community members may speak on any item related to the business of the Board for up to three minutes total. The presiding officer may rule any speaker out of order for failing to speak on agenda item(s) or exceeding the time limit. Speakers must complete a card and state which agenda item(s) they wish to address.
- Comments from presidents of employee bargaining units shall precede comments from the general public. No person may yield or donate their public comment time to any other person.
- Conduct that impedes the normal presentation of business during a school Board or Board Committee meeting or which interrupts the orderly process of the proceeding may constitute a breach of the peace. A breach of the peace constitutes seriously disruptive conduct involving abusive, disorderly, dangerous, aggressive or provocative speech and behaviors tending to threaten or incite violence. Disruptive conduct may also include repeated but not be limited to, whistling or stomping of feet or pounding of hands on furniture, or any other act which disturbs, disrupts, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of any Board meeting or the presentation of any speaker. Speakers who speak beyond the authorized three minutes after repeated warnings to stop are out of order and disruptive. Persons engaging in disorderly conduct may be asked to leave the meeting at the discretion of the presiding officer.
- Nothing in these rules is intended to limit or restrain negative, positive, or neutral comment about the manner in which an individual employee, contractor, volunteer, officer, official, or Board member carries out his or her duties in public office or employment.
