The Public Comment portion of the meeting shall not exceed 15 minutes. Citizens of the district will be allowed up to 3 minutes to make their statement. A sign-up sheet will be available near the entrance of the meeting room. Once the meeting is underway signups will be closed.
Citizens will speak in the order in which they sign up
If the number of people wishing to speak exceeds 5, the Chair will limit the number of speakers
A group of citizens appearing at a meeting to express their opinion on a particular topic should designate 1 member of the group as spokesperson to be heard on the topic. Other members of the group may be heard if they feel that they can contribute additional information regarding the topic.
Public Comment is not a discussion, debate, or dialogue between individuals and the School Committee. It is an opportunity for a citizen to express an opinion on a topic within the School Committee's authority. The authority of the School Committee primarily concerns the SPS budget, the performance of the Superintendent, and the educational goals and policies of the district's public schools. If a citizen is not pleased with a decision made by a SPS staff member, the citizen must go directly to the building's authority to discuss the issue. Decisions with day to day administrative issues and tasks (academics, parent concerns, operations) are outside the authority of the School Committee.
Due to privacy issues, confidential information about a student, personnel, and medical information are prohibited. Rumors presented as fact are also prohibited.