School Board Meeting Procedures

The following is a summarization of policy po0167.3 in BCS District Bylaws arranged in an easy-to-read format with additional information that may be helpful to public meeting attendees and is itself not considered official policy.

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.

Audience Comments:

The Board shall provide for oral public comment at every regular in-person meeting of the Board. Public comments will be held prior to board action and the agenda will outline when public comments will be heard.

You may request to be recognized for public comment 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 a particular meeting for you.

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 pursuant to policy po0167.3.

Please . . .

Don’t stray from the items being considered.

The board cannot act on topics that are not on the agenda. Additionally, comments that stray from the purview of the board may be interrupted by the board president.

Stay within the 3-minute time limit

Each participant is limited to 3 minutes for public comment and time is kept by a member of the board. If a participant exceeds the allotted time, the board president may interrupt or terminate the person’s statement.

Do not comment on the performance of individual staff members.

Comments made at a public meeting 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. Comments that rise to a level of harassment or abuse may be interrupted by the board president. If you have a complaint regarding the practices of any staff member, those comments should be directed to 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 interrogation by other members of their community. Comments should be directed to the board.

Board members:

• are not required to respond to public comments made during board meetings
• may interrupt comments when necessary for the protection of privacy
• may request a recess or adjournment when time restraints or disruptions prevent the orderly conduct of the meeting