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BYLAW 1305: Public Participation at Board Meetings

1305 - PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS

The Board of School Trustees of the Brownsburg Community School Corporation recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on school corporation matters.

Public Comments shall be permitted under the agenda item entitled Public Comments .

Those persons who wish to address the Board during the agenda item entitled Public Comments must sign in prior to the start of the Board meeting and list the item(s) on which the visitor wishes to speak.

Persons who wish to address the Board must state the following:

  1. Name and address;
  2. Group affiliation, if any; and
  3. Topic to be addressed.

Public comments shall be limited to three (3) minutes in duration.

The provisions in this policy will apply at the collective bargaining public hearing, the tentative agreement meeting, and at the time during a meeting when the Board will vote to ratify the tentative collective bargaining agreement. All public comments made at the collective bargaining hearing will be recorded in a manner which will be shared with every member of the Board.

The Board President shall administer the procedures of the Board and shall be guided by the following rules:

  1. A person must be recognized by the presiding officer and must preface their comments by an announcement of their name, address, and group affiliation, if any.
  2. No person may speak more than once.
  3. All statements shall be directed to the Board; no person may address or question Board members individually.
  4. Persons making comments shall not debate statements made by other persons.
  5. Persons making comments shall refrain from stating specific employee or student names.
  6. Boisterous conduct will not be permitted; nor will any defamatory remarks be tolerated.

The Board President may terminate any person addressing the Board for persistent violations of rules or disruptive conduct.

The Board President may:

  1. Interrupt, warn, or terminate a person's statement when the statement is too lengthy, obscene, or irrelevant;
  2. Request any individual to leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decorum or engages in disruptive behavior;
  3. Request the assistance of law enforcement officers in the removal of a disorderly person when that person's conduct interferes with the orderly progress of the meeting; or
  4. Call for a recess or an adjournment to another time when the lack of public decorum so interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting as to warrant such action.

Legal Reference: I.C. 5-14-2.5-3.5

Adopted: March 13, 2023
Last Reviewed: March 13, 2023