By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The School Committee is looking to bring back time limits for people looking to speak during public participation.
During a September meeting, the School Committee approved a revised “Public Comment at School Committee Meetings Policy,” known as Policy BEDH. The revised policy removed a previous three-minute time limit for speakers.
School Committee member Jim Dillon and School Committee Vice Chair Jenny Sheehan, who both serve on the Policy Subcommittee, proposed during a recent meeting that a new five-minute speaking limit be incorporated into Policy BEDH.
“What drove the initial changes was the idea that I think we all agreed that limiting a person to three minutes to comment might not be enough time to intelligently convey the ideas you want to convey,” said Dillon. “We left unlimited time for people.”
After the School Committee approved the revised public participation policy, a number of residents have criticized the school board in the wake of Committeewoman Kate DePrizio making a series of unfounded allegations against School Committee member Jamie Hayman. A large number of residents have called on DePrizio to resign, and a group of residents are circulating petitions seeking to place a question on a ballot that would recall her from office. Several residents spoke about the issue for extended periods of time.
Dillon said he and Sheehan recently discussed adding the five-minute speaking limit for people.
“We thought that maybe if we put on a five-minute limit for a person to organize their thoughts, it will probably give them enough time to convey what they want to get across to us, but at the same time allow a lot of time for multiple people who want to speak,” said Dillon. “We are making that recommendation.”
Dillon’s recommendation differs than the one he had than when the School Committee first discussed the revised public participation policy last August. After then-School Committee Vice Chair Kristen Grieco Elworthy floated the idea of “adding a request to limit comments to a certain amount of time” into the policy, 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 at the time. “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.”
Dillon also said in August that he is “fine with a person having whatever time they need to express their ideas.”
Sheehan said in August that the School Committee is “not here to muzzle people or make them feel they can’t come and speak.”
“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,” said Sheehan while recalling her experiences addressing the school board as a parent. “We want to make sure the public knows that is not happening.”
DePrizio inquired during the recent meeting if the School Committee will be “timing” the length of people’s remarks.
Elworthy, who succeeded DePrizio as School Committee chair, said she discussed the proposed policy change with the School Committee’s attorney.
“We do need to be equitable about it,” said Elworthy. “I am not saying we going to run a big clock behind us, but if there are multiple people waiting, we are looking to ensure that is equitable among all those people. We do need to be careful. If we are going to say five minutes and we have 10 people who want to talk, that is really the reason. We don’t want person number 10 to wait two hours to speak. I don’t think we need to be cutting people off on a clock, but we do need to be paying attention to the time.”
Elworthy also said during the August meeting that the School Committee’s old three-minute public participation speaking rule allowed her to “organize” her thoughts.
DePrizio was against placing time limits on speakers in August.
“I struggle with the time limit because I find that to be a bit of censorship,” said DePrizio at the time.
Sheehan informed the Villager that the School Committee will be discussing the revised “Public Comment at School Committee Meetings Policy” on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
