To provide for full and open communication between the public and the Board of Education, the Board authorizes the following avenues for the exchange of information, ideas and opinions.

Grievance through Established Policy and Procedure

Students, employees and any members of the public are encouraged to utilize established policies and procedures for offering suggestions or addressing concerns and complaints prior to bringing the issue before the board.  The Board believes that many issues can be resolved by communication with teachers, administrators and other staff and may refuse to address an issue if the individual presenting the potential agenda item has not first attempted to resolve the matter through established procedures and policies.

Written Correspondence

Written correspondence may be directed to the Board, through the Superintendent, for consideration at a meeting.  Copies of all correspondence directed to the Board will be made available to all Board members.  Statements of two (2) pages or less are encouraged.

Agenda Items

Any member of the public who wishes to have an item placed on the open or closed agenda will present the request in writing to the Superintendent or the Board President.  The request must be submitted and received five (5) business days prior to the scheduled meeting.  The item may then be appropriately placed on the agenda.  The Board reserves the right to impose reasonable restrictions on the number of spokespersons appearing before the Board.  If the meeting agenda is full, the Board reserves the right to reschedule an item for the next regular meeting.  The Board may refuse to address an issue that has not gone through the appropriate grievance procedure.  The Board reserves the right to waive formalities in emergency situations, within the limitations of the law.

Public Hearings

From time to time, the Board may schedule a public hearing to receive input on matters of concern to the community, such as setting the district’s tax rate.  The public will be provided notice of such hearings as required by law.

Public Comment

A period of fifteen (15) minutes will be allotted to residents of the School District and staff to address posted agenda items at the beginning of the meeting to give the Board the opportunity to listen to citizens.  The Board is very interested in citizen viewpoints and problems.  We encourage citizens to work through problems at the building and/or administrative levels before coming to the Board.  We ask that remarks be limited to three minutes and to one appearance, thus allowing a maximum number of participants in the allotted time period in which citizens are to speak to posted agenda items.  Questions directed to the Board cannot always be answered immediately.  An appropriate person will respond to all questions within the week wherever possible. 

A public comment time of at least fifteen (15) minutes will also be held at the end of each regular meeting.  Due to Sunshine Law restrictions, the Board may not comment or discuss items that were not on the agenda.  Please remember that a School Board meeting is a formal business meeting and public courtesy and professionalism is expected from those addressing the Board.  Public Comment time may be extended if the Board feels time was not adequate to hear from the patrons.  The Board will recognize persons first who did not speak at the beginning of the meeting.