Addressing the Board

LIMIT ON PARTICIPATION

Audience participation at a Board meeting is limited to the portion of the meeting designated to receive public comment in accordance with Board Policy. At all other times during a Board meeting, the audience shall not enter into discussion or debate on matters being considered by the Board, unless requested by the presiding officer.

 

PUBLIC COMMENT 

At regular Board meetings, the Board shall permit public comment regardless of whether the topic is an item on the agenda. At all other meetings, public comment shall be limited to items on the agenda.

Individuals who wish to participate in the portion of the meeting designated for public comment shall sign up with the presiding officer or designee before the meeting begins and shall indicate the agenda item or topic on which they wish to address the Board.

Speakers shall be required to fill out a speaker participation form prior to speaking. The speaker shall be allotted two and one-half minutes if the speaker has filled out the form by the submission deadline of 4:30 p.m. on the day before the Board meeting. Speakers may sign up through the link available under the BISD Board tab on the school district’s website or may sign up with the Board secretary. The time allotted to a speaker who fills out a form prior to the start of the board meeting shall be one and one-half minutes.

Public comment shall occur at the beginning of the meeting. Except as permitted by Board Policy and these guidelines on public comment, an individual’s comments to the Board shall not exceed two and one-half minutes per meeting.

 

MEETING MANAGEMENT

When necessary for effective meeting management or to accommodate large numbers of individuals wishing to address the Board, the presiding officer may make adjustments to public comment procedures, including adjusting when public comment will occur during the meeting, reordering agenda items, deferring public comment on nonagenda items, continuing agenda items to a later meeting, providing expended opportunity for public comment, or establishing an overall time limit for public comment and adjusting the time allotted to each speaker. However, no individual shall be given less than one minute to make comments.

BOARD’S RESPONSE

Specific factual information or recitation of existing policy may be furnished in response to inquiries, but the Board shall not deliberate or decide regarding any subject that is not included on the agenda.

• Speakers shall be acknowledged by the President before speaking and must state their first and last name and their address.
• Speakers shall refrain from direct questions to Board members, the Superintendent, District staff, or members of the audience while speaking. The Board will not answer questions from speakers during the communications portion of the meeting.
• Speakers may not accrue minutes from other speakers.
• Speakers shall not use profane or vulgar language.
• Speakers shall refrain from making personal attacks against any person.
• Speakers shall remain in the designated areas for public comment.
• The President shall reserve the right to conclude a speaker’s privileges to address the Board if any of these provisions are violated.

COMPLAINTS AND CONCERNS 

Members of the audience shall not present complaints, including matters involving District personnel during the public comment portion of the meeting. The presiding officer or designee shall determine whether an individual addressing the Board has attempted to solve a matter administratively through resolution channels established by policy. If not, the individual shall be referred to the appropriate policy to seek resolution:

• Employee Complaints: DGBA
• Student or parent complaints: FNG
• Public complaints: GF

DISRUPTION

The Board shall not tolerate disruption of the meeting by members of the audience. The audience shall refrain from cheering, clapping or audibly commenting during the business portion of the meeting.  If, after at least one warning from the presiding officer, any individual continues to disrupt the meeting by his or her words or actions, the presiding officer may request assistance from law enforcement officials to have the individual removed from the meeting.

DATE REVISED: 04-27-2021, Pending TASB Review and Website Update. 

Completed forms may be returned via email or fax to: 
Georgia C. Antoine 
Coordinator of Board Affairs/Elections 
gantoin@bmtisd.com or Fax at: (409) 617-5184