Public Comment
2:230 Public Participation at Board of Education Meetings and Petitions to the Board
For a maximum of 60 minutes during each regular and special open meeting of the Board, any person may comment to or ask questions of the Board (public participation), subject to the reasonable constraints established and recorded in this policy's guidelines below. The time limit for public participation at a meeting may be extended upon the majority vote of the Board members at the regular or special meeting. The Board listens to comments or questions during public participation; responses to comments to or questions of the Board are most often managed through policy 3:30, Chain of Command.
To preserve sufficient time for the Board to conduct its business, any person appearing before the Board is expected to follow these guidelines:
- Address the Board only at the appropriate time as indicated on the agenda and when recognized by the Board President. This includes following the directives of the Board President to maintain order and decorum for all.
- Use a sign-in sheet, if requested.
- Identify oneself and be brief. Ordinarily, the time for any one person to address the Board during public participation shall be limited to three minutes. In unusual circumstances, and when an individual has made a request to speak for a longer period of time, the Board President may allow a person to speak for more than three minutes. If multiple individuals wish to address the Board on the same subject, the group is encouraged to appoint a spokesperson.
- Observe, when necessary and appropriate, the Board President’s authority to:
- Shorten the time for each person to address the Board during public participation to conserve time and give the maximum number of people an opportunity to speak; and/or
- Determine procedural matters regarding public participation not otherwise covered in Board policy.
5. Conduct oneself with respect and civility toward others and otherwise abide by Board policy 8:30, Visitors to and Conduct on School Property.
Petitions or written correspondence to the Board shall be presented to the Board in the next regular Board packet.
LEGAL REF.:
105 ILCS 5/10-6 and 5/10-16.
5 ILCS 120/2.06, Open Meetings Act.
CROSS REF.: 2:220 (Board of Education Meeting Procedure), 8:10 (Connection with the Community), 8:30 (Visitors to and Conduct on School Property)
Adopted: September 12, 2022
Public Comment Submission Options
Members of the public may participate in Public Comment during Regular Board meetings by attending in person or by submitting an electronic public comment form. Please note that speakers are limited to three minutes.
Electronic public comments will be accepted up until 12:00pm on the day of the scheduled regular meeting. The public commentor will be contacted to confirm identity. Once confirmed, the electronic public comment will be provided to all Board members in written form.
A link to the electronic public comment form may be accessed via the online Board meeting packet, located on the District’s website at https://meetings.boardbook.org/public/organization/1203.
Contact Heather Bennett, Deputy Superintendent, at hbennett@rlas-116.org if you have any questions related to Public Comments at Board of Education Meetings.