School board members have proposed revising a bylaw that would affect the public’s participation at meetings. Second reading and vote is expected at Monday’s meeting.
The proposal suggests a minimum of three-minute limit for a public statement, if it appears the comment portion of the meeting may exceed 60 minutes. The bylaw currently allows two minutes per speaker in these cases.
No participant may speak more than once on the same topic until all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard, the current and future policy reads.
Statements, questions or inquiries would have to be directed to the person running the meeting, stopping people from questioning board members directly. It would be up to the board president to determine if the question can be answered by the individual board member.
The policy is revised to permit the presiding officer to interrupt, warn and/or terminate a statement, question or inquiry when the statement, it is too lengthy. The board president may interrupt and/or warn a participant when the statement, question, or inquiry is abusive, obscene or may be defamatory, the policy has added.
