In-Person & Electronic Public Comment Guidelines
In-Person Public Comment
District residents, taxpayers, employees, and students wishing to comment shall have one (1) opportunity for public comment related to agenda items only during the first public comment period and one (1) opportunity for public comment regarding agenda items or other items which may reasonably come before the Board during the second public comment period.
- Requests to comment must be submitted using the appropriate Board Meeting Public Comment Sign-In Form prior to the start of the meeting. Copies of the form will be available at each meeting and available by clicking here.
- Requests to comment received after the meeting has started will be provided to Board members following the meeting for their review; however, individuals will not have the opportunity to speak publicly.
- Although the public comment period of the meeting is not a question and answer session, the presiding officer may direct staff to follow up and address public inquiries following the meeting.
- Should a new agenda item be added for discussion after the start of the meeting, public comments will be received on that new agenda item until the agenda-related public comments have concluded.
The Board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of involving members of the public in Board meetings; however, to ensure meetings are conducted efficiently and in an orderly manner, individuals appearing before the Board are expected to follow these guidelines.
- In-person public comments will be timed and limited to three (3) minutes. Commenters may not cede their time to other individuals.
- Comments are to be directed to the entire Board, not one individual Board member, Administration, staff member, or the audience.
- If you wish to distribute documents to the Board, provide them with the completed Board Meeting Public Comment Sign-In Form prior to the start of the meeting. Submission of the documents will be noted in the minutes but will not be included as attachments.
- Parents may share their own child’s name, but are asked not to share confidential personal information regarding other students or staff.
Electronic Public Comment
Each resident/student wishing to comment electronically shall have one (1) opportunity for public comment related to agenda items and one (1) opportunity for public comment regarding agenda items or other items that may reasonably come before the Board.
- Electronic comments must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Comments should be submitted via the website on the Board Agenda page. A direct link to the Electronic Public Comment form can be found here.
- Electronic comment submission must contain the resident/student's full name, township, organization affiliation if applicable, and school if the sender is a student. Without these details, the comment will not be shared with the Board. If not clearly identified as a student comment, the remarks will be considered a public comment.
- Electronic comments received by 12:00 p.m. the day of the Board meeting:
- Will be shared with Board members in their entirety prior to the start of the meeting for their review.
- Will be printed and copies made available at the meeting for community review.
- Electronic comments received after 12:00 p.m. the day of the meeting:
- Will be provided to Board members following the meeting for their review.
- Will be printed and copies made available at the next Board meeting for community review.
- Electronic comments will be noted in the minutes but will not be included as attachments. Comments received after 12:00 p.m. the day of the meeting will be acknowledged in the minutes of the next Board meeting.
- The Board or Administration may respond to comments at their discretion.
Accommodations
To ensure all individuals have an opportunity to speak, any resident/student who needs a reasonable accommodation for public comment is requested to contact Michelle Kendig, Board Secretary, at 717-885-1124 at least three (3) business days in advance of the meeting.
Guidelines Last Updated June 2024