Board Policy Manual
Chickamauga City Schools
Board Policy BCBI: Public Participation in Board Meetings
Status: ADOPTED
Original Adopted Date: 10/13/2008 | Last Revised Date: 02/08/2021 | Last Reviewed Date: 02/08/2021
Public Participation in Board Meetings
Meetings of the Board of Education are held to conduct the affairs and business of the school District. Although these meetings are not meetings of the public, the public is invited to attend all meetings and citizens have the ability to address the Board of Education at the regular Board meetings if they provide a 24-hour notice to the Superintendent and operate within the procedures established by the Board or the Superintendent. Public participation may be allowed in the discretion of the Board at certain additional meetings under procedures set by the Board.
Members of the public wishing to make formal presentations before the Board are asked to make arrangements 24 hours in advance with the Superintendent so that such presentations may be scheduled on the agenda. The Board reserves the right to hear representation of the State Department of Education, city or county official(s) on official business on shorter notice. Otherwise, any person who fails to comply with this section shall not be heard by the Board.
As a guide, those who speak are urged to limit their remarks to a maximum of three minutes. Groups will be urged to designate a spokesperson and encouraged not to exceed five minutes per topic. The Board chairperson shall be responsible for calling on all speakers, who shall properly identify themselves, and for maintaining order. All comments to the Board in accordance with this policy are to be brief and are intended for the Board to hear comments or concerns from citizens, but not to take action.
Board Policy Manual
Chickamauga City Schools
Regulation BCBI-R(1): Public Participation in Board Meetings
Status: ADOPTED
Original Adopted Date: 10/17/2022 | Last Reviewed Date: 10/17/2022
These procedures are in accordance with Policy BCBI and provide the Rules of Conduct, in accordance with O.C.G.A. §20-2-58, for all Board meetings. Further, for scheduling purposes at regular board meetings, prospective speakers during the public participation item on the agenda must sign up at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting with the Superintendent’s Office.
All attendees shall remember that while the meetings are open to the public, the purpose of the meeting is to conduct the business of the school system and members of the public are invited to participate only as allowed by Board policy and these procedures.
- Members of the public shall conduct themselves in a respectful manner that is not disruptive to the conduct of the Board’s business. Signs, flags, and banners are prohibited inside the Board meeting room.
- Each member of the public participating in public comment will be given no more than three minutes to speak. The Board or its Chair may limit further the total time allocated for public participation as well as further limit the length of individual comments during public participation at its discretion for the purpose of the efficient operation of the business of the meeting.
- Only residents of the School District, representatives of businesses or organizations located in the District, parents or guardians of students attending the schools of the District, or school system employees may address the Board during public participation. No individual or group will be retaliated against, in any manner whatsoever, for speaking during public participation.
- The Board requests that any group or organization appoint a single representative to address the Board.
- All speakers shall address the Board by first stating their names. All remarks shall be made to the Board as a body and addressed through the Chair. Remarks shall not be addressed to individual Board members.
- Issues involving individual employees or individual students and pending litigation are not subjects for public participation. Where appropriate, the public is urged to follow other resolution processes set forth in Board policy or available at individual schools, where those processes are clearly designed to address the issue to be raised.
- Speakers are asked to keep their remarks civil. The use of obscene, profane, vulgar, physically threatening or abusive remarks will not be allowed. Loud and boisterous conduct or comments by speakers or members of the audience are not allowed.
- The Board will not respond to comments made by the speaker during public participation unless a member of the Board chooses to ask a question. Speakers should remain at the microphone while answering questions.
By reading and acknowledging acceptance prior to speaking during public participation, speakers attest that they understand and will abide by these procedures. The Chair of the Board is responsible for enforcing these procedures. Those attending a meeting or speaking during public participation who violate these procedures will be warned by the Chair. A continued violation may result in a speaker being asked to sit down. If any person attending a meeting refuses to follow these rules disrupting the meeting, they will be asked to leave and if they refuse, be escorted from the meeting room. Such serious or repeated violations of the rules of conduct may result in the individual being prohibited from speaking during a board meeting for an appropriate period of time. Any attendee violating the laws of the State while on District property or attending a meeting of the Board shall be subject to arrest by law enforcement.
