Parents raise concerns over Poudre School District’s proposed public comment policy
After having no official guidelines in place in place for how the public can participate in its meetings, the Poudre School District Board of Education is set to vote on new rules at their next meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 13.
A section of those proposed guidelines, which would have prohibited speakers from making comments on behalf of someone else, prompted several parents to share concerns at the board's most recent meeting Aug. 23.
After discussion, the board indicated it would take that rule out of the proposed policy.
“For the sake of being inclusive to those with disabilities, I feel compelled to let you know there are several disabilities that might limit an individual's ability to make public comments themselves,” said Dani Lawrence, who has two children in PSD schools, one of whom is visually impaired, she said.
Lawrence illustrated her point by saying there are several groups of community members who may need someone to deliver comments for them, including people with autism, ADHD, anxiety and other mental health issues. Lawrence also noted her repeated requests to the board to have a sign language interpreter at meetings.
“Folks shouldn’t have to request accommodation from the district to participate in a public meeting,” Lawrence said. ”They still deserve to be considered in this public space.”
The original proposed public participation guidelines stated that “only the current speaker is permitted to be at the podium, unless a minor wishes to be accompanied by the minor’s parent/guardian.” However, an addition to the regulations goes on to state: “Translators and other individuals needed as an accommodation may accompany the speaker.”
The policy didn't specifically say what accommodations are and are not allowed. It also stipulated, “during community comment, speakers shall not stand in place of another, i.e. read a statement on behalf of another individual.”
Lawrence concluded her public comments with a call to action for the board.
“With a 59% graduation rate for special needs students in this district, it is past time for PSD to make cultural changes toward inclusion that are long overdue. The board has an opportunity to send a powerful message that everybody’s voice matters, even those who can’t use theirs.”
Other PSD parents and community members said the policy would impact teachers in the district who may want to participate anonymously.
"For two years I have been reading anonymous statements because teachers were afraid for their jobs, but still wanted to be heard," said Kelly Holdridge, a PSD parent and advocate.
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PSD board members amend policy to address concerns
The board ultimately decided to strike the “no stand-in” policy from the guidelines entirely after hearing parents' concerns.
“I don’t think it’s been an issue. It can actually be helpful,” board member Nate Donovan said. “I do believe teachers may not feel comfortable speaking in a public meeting, especially if they’re in disagreement with some of the things that are happening in the district.”
Board member Jim Brokish agreed, saying he was in favor of allowing people to stand in for other public participants.
Board member Carolyn Reed said she was on the fence about the no stand-in policy but ultimately remained in favor of keeping it in the guidelines. Reed said she was initially in favor of the policy to alleviate some of the confusion that comes with anonymous statements, like not being able to follow up on the issue or the inability to confirm details of incidents discussed in public comments.
“Not letting people stand in is not the way to fix that,” Reed said.
Board Vice President Kristen Draper said she wasn’t sure how the board would be able to provide feedback to those who speak through a stand-in. However, she ultimately agreed that the policy was not necessary.
Board President Rob Petterson said while he was still in favor of the no stand-in policy, he recognized a majority of the board would prefer to remove the item. Petterson agreed to update the guidelines to remove the policy.
The board will officially vote to adopt the public participation guidelines at its next board meeting. Following guidance from the Aug. 23 discussion, this version will likely omit the no stand-in policy, though the official guidelines had not yet been released as of early Friday afternoon. Ahead of the official vote, the board will have another opportunity to discuss the policy.
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Here's a look at the rest of the board's proposed guidelines:
Board members generally won’t respond to speakers. If they do, the speaker will not be allowed a rebuttal.
Comments should be constructive to the operation of the school system, the district's goals or the education of PSD students.
Those who wish to participate will be required to sign up in advance.
Each speaker will have the same amount of time to speak, which will be determined at the start of each meeting and will depend on how many people are signed up to speak.
Public comment generally shouldn’t last more than 45 minutes. Time allotted for each speaker will likely be between 2 and 3 minutes.
Anyone who violates the rules will be given a warning. The board can remove speakers from the room if they continue to violate the rules.
Audience members are not allowed to bring posters or signs into the board room because they can be distracting. Signs and posters are permitted outside of the building.
Audience members should be respectful to speakers during public comment and should not make comments out of turn. Audience members can also be removed for violating the rules.
The following are things speakers are not allowed to do:
Solicit funds in any way
Advertise, promote products or services for sale or purchase
Comment on subjects not related to the district, its schools, its operation or education in general
Use vulgar or obscene language or imagery
Engage in harassing speech against any individual
Discuss information relating to confidential student matters, unless the speaker is talking about their own child
Discuss issues related to specific employees of the district
Editor's note: This story has a correction. The Poudre School District Board of Education is expected to vote on proposed public comment guidelines at its meeting Tuesday, Sept. 13. The board is not scheduled to hold a meeting Tuesday, Aug. 30.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Poudre School District parents respond to proposed public comment rules
