POTTSTOWN PA – Arguments and rancor demonstrated during recent months at Pottsgrove Board of School Directors‘ meetings, primarily from parents of elementary school-age children affected by the board’s redistricting decision, caused directors Tuesday (April 10, 2012) to announce they would crack down and enforce an existing policy regulating when and how comments can be made by the public.
Signs like this one, which was displayed during a Feb. 29 Pottsgrove school directors' meeting, are prohibited in their meeting room under a newly reinforced policy
Because the Pottsgrove School District policy – No. 903, titled “Public Participation in Board Meetings,” adopted Nov. 10, 2009, and found here – was already in place, no board action on its enforcement was required and no vote was taken.
But the announcement, made by director and board Policy Committee Chairman David Faulkner, did attract the comment of board President Michael Neiffer. He said the enforcement decision “came about after how we saw some meetings deteriorate” in discussions over redistricting. Although “most of the community followed our policy,” Neiffer added, the failure of those who had not needed to be addressed.
“The ‘children’ were bad, so the ‘children’ must be punished,” parent Rick Rabinowitz scoffed after Tuesday’s meeting ended.
Neiffer’s comment referred in part to a January 2012 hearing he abruptly closed when opponents of the district’s proposal to create grade-level educational centers at West Pottsgrove, Ringing Rocks, and Lower Pottsgrove elementary schools devolved into a shouting match between parents and directors.
During a later meeting, at which the centers model was formally adopted, uniformed Lower Pottsgrove Township Police Department officers were assigned by their acting chief to attend the session as a precaution.
The three-page policy states the board “recognizes the value to school governance of public comment on educational issues and the importance of involving members of the public” in its meetings. However, it adds, the board also must “conduct its business in an orderly and efficient manner.”
The policy in part also states that:
- All public comments must be made at the beginning of each meeting;
- “Residents and taxpayers” who wish to speak to the board must, before the meeting starts, complete a written request to do so;
- The board has no obligation “to respond to individual concerns or answer specific questions” during the comment period;
- The board can defer a comment period to another meeting or a special meeting if it determines the time needed for public comments is insufficient;
- Placards or banners are prohibited in the meeting room;
- Commenters must announce their “name, address, and group affiliation if applicable;”
- Commenters “normally have a maximum of five (5) minutes” to make a presentation, but the time can be reduced under certain circumstances;
- Commenters cannot cede their allotted time to another person;
- Participants cannot speak more than once on the same topic “unless all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard;” and
- All comments must be directed only to the presiding officer, and not to individual board members.
The policy additionally gives the presiding officer the ability to:
- “Interrupt or terminate” statements deemed “too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, or irrelevant;
- Request any individual to leave the meeting if their decorum is considered unreasonable;
- Ask the police to remove disorderly persons;
- Call a recess to or adjourn meetings that are interrupted by a “lack of public decorum;” and
- Waive all the rules if the board approves.
Related (to Pottsgrove School District redistricting):
- School Board Says It Will Enforce Comment Policies
- Parents Anxiously Await Pottsgrove Bus Route Revisions
- Pottsgrove Redistricted Employee Assignments Due Today
- At West Pottsgrove, Parents Worry About Kids’ Future
- Last Of Pottsgrove’s Initial ‘Connection’ Meetings Tonight
- Pottsgrove’s First Transition Meeting Tonight at Ringing
- Decisions Loom Friday For ‘Grove Redistricted Teachers
- ‘Grove Plans ‘Connection Meetings’ To Map Transition
- Relief, As Pottsgrove Chooses Preferred Redistrict Line
- Pottsgrove Future May Hinge On Tests That Start Today
- PTO Opens Friday Fun Night To ‘Redistricted’ Newcomers
- Police Presence At ‘Grove Labeled A ‘Misunderstanding’
- Pottsgrove Board OKs Ed Centers, Full-Day Kindergarten
- On Facebook, Via Cells, First The News Then A Firestorm
- Attention-Getter: Philly TV Crew Spends Its Day In ‘Grove
- Get A Seat Early For Tonight’s Pottsgrove Board Meeting
- Bright Yellow Signs Flag Pottsgrove Centers’ Opposition
- The Case Against Centers in the Pottsgrove School District
- Pottsgrove Ed Centers’ Opponents Launch Petition Drive
- Pottsgrove Principals Distribute Redistrict Info Letters
- Debate Aside, Pottsgrove K-Classes Sign-Up Starts
- Pottsgrove’s Case For Education Centers, Take Two
- Pottsgrove Says It Will Work To Improve Public Notice
- Pottsgrove Centers’ Talks Subdued; Decision Delayed
- Notebook Worthy: Pottsgrove, The Master Of Brevity
- It’s Official: ‘Grove Meeting Moved To High School
- Pottsgrove’s Case For Ed Centers: A Nutshell View
- In ‘Horse Race’ Of Opinions, Pottsgrove Serves As Track
- ‘Grove Residents Want Proof Ed Centers Will Succeed
- ‘The Blues’ May Await Pottsgrove’s School Board Tonight
- Both Sides In Pottsgrove Redistricting Head To Facebook
- Pottsgrove Crowd Vocal In Opposing Educational Centers
- Advocate: Pottsgrove Centers ‘Best Access’ To Resources
- Debate Over Pottsgrove Redistricting Gets Started Tuesday
- No Matter What Plan Pottsgrove Adopts, Buses Ready
- Redistricting Info ‘Slanted,’ Pottsgrove Volunteers Charge
- Pottsgrove Redistrict Discussions Quietly Move Ahead
- In Pottsgrove, Redistricting Study Work Gets Started
- Pottsgrove Sets Dates For Redistrict Committee Work
- As Expected, Interest A’Plenty In Pottsgrove Redistricting
- Landis Calls For Pottsgrove Redistricting Volunteers
- Touchy Pottsgrove Redistricting Now Being Considered
Related (to the Pottsgrove Board of School Directors’ April 10 meeting):
- School Board Says It Will Enforce Comment Policies
- Parents Anxiously Await Pottsgrove Bus Route Revisions
- New Pottsgrove Policies Urge Worker Care In Comments
It is clear to me that the school board learned the wrong lesson from the centers controversy. As a result, they will clamp down tighter on what we can say, how we say it and when we say it; rather than realize that giving a voice to parents and then actually listening to that voice would have prevented all the problems that have occurred. Instead of holding themselves accountable to the electorate, they have placed themselves above the electorate. So, the electorate will be forced to hold them accountable when it is time to vote. For those who plan to run for the board, myself included, the board of directors have handed us an unexpected campaign issue. When our slate of candidates are elected, we will overhaul policy #903. While we certainly will not sanction abusive behavior, we will treat all residents with respect, even those with whom we disagree. We will allow our residents to have a voice, and most importantly we will take heed of that voice. We will NEVER go against the overwhelming majority of our residents, even if we disagree with them personally.
I had read the policy several months back. And while being a functional policy in the past, it no longer serves its purpose. The people who are speaking at the meetings recently are known to the board. The only thing we are not doing, and frankly I have never observed this at any board meeting I sporadically attended over the past ten years, is giving our name and address when we speak.
I appreciate that the board did give considerations in several areas to the community, and that should be continued. To come out and read the policy in the meeting like they did was like scolding a little kid…. well, we let you do this, but now we have to enforce the rules we failed to enforce and we will hold to the letter of the law…
I guess If I fail to say my name and address, then I do not get the right to speak?
I feel the board was very respectful and did act accordingly to all involved during the recent redistricting meetings. I was at a number of those meetings and I am surprised they let things go on as long as they did. The board is not trying to silence or prevent freedom of speech from anyone. They are merely trying to hold meetings to get something accomplished while informing the public.
Each person may send in a letter to the opinion page of the papers, make a blog, write on Facebook, twitter, and purchase advertising space and so on to voice their opinion. However, when something takes a meeting off track and becomes a “zoo” (only word I can think to describe some of the meetings) then they have the right to enforce this policy.
Public meetings are just that – PUBLIC … Only the December and the January meeting (after several hours) deteriorated. Every meeting since has been a non zoo, even the vote night was not a zoo.
Public meetings are the correct forum to make statements of concerns to the school board. It is the place to give our opinion of issues directly affecting our children.
I understand the need for decorum and respectfulness, but honestly, this was done after the fact with a small group of dedicated parents in attendance.