By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The School Committee discussed a revised public participation policy during a recent meeting.
School Committee member Jenny Sheehan, who serves on the Policy Subcommittee, gave an overview of the revised “Public Comment at School Committee Meetings Policy.”
“The School Committee desires individuals to attend its meetings so that they may become better acquainted with the operations and the programs of our local public schools,” said Sheehan while reading Policy BEDH. “In addition, the committee would like the opportunity to hear public comment on items that are within the scope of the School Committee’s responsibilities. The public comment agenda item is reserved for this purpose. Public comment is an individual’s opportunity to express an opinion on issues within the School Committee’s authority.”
Sheehan said the revised public comment policy includes several guidelines that speakers are expected to follow.
“At the start of each regularly scheduled School Committee meeting, individuals will sign in for an opportunity to speak during public comment,” said Sheehan. “All speakers are encouraged to present their remarks in a respectful manner.
The chair will recognize those wishing to speak and give them the floor. Only persons recognized by the chair may speak. For purposes of the minutes, speakers should identify themselves by name and address at the beginning of their remarks.”
Sheehan said, “The purpose of public comment is to receive input from the community.”
“All comments should be addressed through the chair, not to any individual committee member or to others in attendance,” said Sheehan. “The chair will ensure that any comment or question that requires a response from the committee or the School Department will be addressed in a timely manner. Speakers are expected to respect confidentiality. This includes the confidentiality of the speaker’s own child or children as well as that of school staff and personnel.”
Sheehan said “topics for discussion should be limited to those items within the School Committee’s scope of authority.”
“The authority of the School Committee primarily concerns the review and approval of the budget of the district’s public schools, the performance of the superintendent, and the educational goals and policies of the district’s public schools,” said Sheehan. “Comments and complaints regarding school personnel, apart from the superintendent, or students are generally prohibited unless those comments and complaints concern matters within the scope of School Committee authority. The chair of the meeting, after a warning, reserves the right to terminate speech which is not constitutionally protected because it constitutes true threats that are likely to provoke a violent reaction and cause a breach of the peace, or incitement to imminent lawless conduct or contains obscenities.”
Sheehan also said, “written comments may be presented to the presiding chair before or after the meeting.”
“All remarks will be addressed through the chair of the meeting,” said Sheehan. “Comments made during the public comment portion of the meeting do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Lynnfield School Committee. Sign up instructions will be provided for those who wish to participate in public comment.”
School Committee Chair Kate DePrizio said she asked Sheehan and School Committee member Jim Dillon, who also serves on the subcommittee, to review the public participation policy because the panel has not be following the current one since she was appointed chair in early January.
“I wanted to make sure it got cleaned up at the start of the year so that the expectations were really clear,” said DePrizio.
School Committee member Jamie Hayman asked if the School Department’s attorney reviewed the revised public comment policy.
DePrizio said she discussed the revised policy with newly hired School Department attorney Colby Brunt and Town Counsel Tom Mullen.
“Public participation and me responding to public participation is not a violation of the Open Meeting Law,” said DePrizio. “Public participation is on the agenda and that alone is it’s own protection. Of course the chair can’t reasonably anticipate what will be said there, but I am free to respond openly.”
School Committee Vice Chair Kristen Grieco Elworthy said the public participation changes DePrizio implemented earlier this year are “fantastic.”
“I appreciate that we are not cutting people off and are not putting on a time limit,” said Elworthy. “I would consider adding a request to limit comments to a certain amount of time. It would not always have to be stuck to, but I do think there will be days where something big is going on and there are a lot of people in this room looking to comment. We can’t be in this room indefinitely. I don’t mind sitting here for hours, but folks who came in to say something may. I am wondering if there is a way to put some discretion in here?”
Dillon said he is “fine with a person having whatever time they need to express their ideas.”
“I think what does make sense and what used to always happen on this committee was people were asked if what you are going to say has already been said to not get up and say it again,” said Dillon. “Sometimes you get five or six people coming up to the microphone saying the exact same thing. If a taxpayer or a citizen wants to express something about the School Department that is important to them at a meeting, they should have the right to do that. It is a fundamental right as an American as far as I am concerned.”
Elworthy agreed with Dillon’s viewpoint. When she previously spoke at school board meetings as a parent, she said the old three-minute public participation rule allowed her to “organize” her thoughts.
“I have been on the other side and it does help to know what people is expecting,” said Elworthy.
Hayman suggested that language be added that encouraged speakers to “keep their remarks to five minutes or less.”
Dillon said he was “very much against” putting time limits on speakers.
“It is absurd to me,” said Dillon. “If someone is talking about an issue and have a point to make, I think they have that right. And if they are rambling, getting off track and talking about things that are not on the agenda, then the chair has the right to say you are off the agenda. We are here once every two weeks, and we ran for these positions. We should listen to what they have to say.”
DePrizio agreed.
“I struggle with the time limit because I find that to be a bit of censorship,” said DePrizio. “That is not my right to do. My right is to facilitate the conversation. I want to make sure we are doing that in a way that allows the freedom of their speech. There is always discretion.”
Sheehan said the School Committee is “not here to muzzle people or make them feel they can’t come and speak.”
“Like Kristen, I have been on the other side,” said Sheehan. “I think it is sometimes helpful to have a prompt, but at that same time, I have had to edit my speech and time myself to make sure because someone was sitting with a timer ready to cut me off. We want to make sure the public knows that is not happening.”
Dillon noted that the School Committee discusses topics concerning “the education of people’s children.”
“That is one of the most important things parents are concerned about,” said Dillon. “I think we need to hear them out. It is incredibly important. If they are worried about a school issue, they are up at night and are not going to sleep because of it. We are going to listen to what they have to say and talk to them about it.”
