Resident urges policy to record and post all school subcommittee meetings

During public participation on Aug. 25, Alejandro Baez asked the Methuen School Committee to adopt a policy requiring that all subcommittee meetings be recorded, broadcast when possible and uploaded to the district's public video channels. Baez, a Methuen resident who said he attends subcommittee meetings, said recordings would aid public access when minutes are not consistently posted. "If a policy could be in place to make sure that all subcommittee meetings be recorded or broadcasted would be great," Baez said, noting Zoom's recording feature and urging the district to make recordings available on its YouTube channel when feasible. Baez also gave a concrete example: he said a recent subcommittee discussion about camera audio capability and a wellness policy scheduled for subcommittee review were unclear because the subcommittee minutes he sought were not posted. He asked that approved minutes be uploaded in full rather than only linked on agendas. The committee did not vote on the request during the meeting; members thanked Baez and acknowledged the topic as related to the district's transparency practices. Administration and the committee will consider the request as part of subcommittee process discussions.