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Public Participation at Board Meetings

The Missouri School Boards Association (MSBA) provided districts with the 2023A Update of policies, procedures and forms in April of 2023. Our board examined several of these policies and voted to approve policies BDDB (Agenda), BDDH (Public Participation at Board Meetings), and KC (Community Involvement in Decision Making) at the May 18, 2023 meeting. We would like to call your attention to some specifics of policy BDDH, which have been updated as a result of the adoption of these policies and are addressed below.

 

Meetings of public governmental bodies such as the Willard Public School Board of Education are open to the public unless specifically authorized to be closed by law. These meetings are called “open meetings” as the public has a right to hear discussions and observe voting on open agenda items. The meetings are not public forums and visitors do not have a legal right to speak to the Board without being recognized. The Willard Public School Board of Education is interested in maintaining open communications with the public and has adopted these guidelines for public input during an open meeting:

  • Items are no longer required to be on the agenda to be discussed during patron input

  • To speak to the Board during community input, the Request to Speak to the Willard Public School Board of Education Form must be completed and submitted to the Secretary of the Board at least 48 hours prior to the Board meeting. Any forms received after the deadline will be considered for the next business meeting. 

  • The amount of time allotted for input will be three (3) minutes and will be regulated by the President of the Board. A timer will be visible to assist in timekeeping. A maximum of three (3) people will be allowed to speak per topic and the total amount of time allowed for community input shall not exceed 30 minutes (10 speakers) per Board meeting. 

If patrons wish to speak to the Board about specifically identifiable school employees or students, the Board President will make a determination if the issue is a closed session item or an open session item. Patrons should not expect board members or administrators to enter into a discussion during this time.

The board encourages community input and comments and is committed to providing an environment where all stakeholders are valued, represented, and heard. All board policies can be found on our website, as well as the aforementioned guidelines for public participation at board of education meetings and the Request to Speak to the Willard Public School Board of Education Form. 

As always, we thank you for your continued support of Willard Public Schools!