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Resident criticizes reduction in non-agenda comment time, calls for transparency and better services for students with disabilities
Summary
Nina Sandberg used public comment at the July 22 Seminole County school board meeting to object to a change reducing non-agenda public comment time from three minutes to two, said agenda materials are hard to find, and alleged the district mistreats some students with disabilities; the board did not take action during the public-comment period.
Nina Sandberg addressed the Seminole County School Board during the public-comment period on July 22 to criticize proposed changes to the board's public-participation policies and to call for greater transparency in the district's agenda materials and decision-making.
Sandberg told the board the district was "unethical, malicious, and disrespectful" for changing non-agenda public comment from three minutes to two and said the change and the way agenda items were posted make it difficult for the public to find and weigh in on proposed policy changes. She specifically referenced proposed amendments to "policy 0169.1, public participation at board meetings" and concerns about "policy 2460 regarding exceptional student education." "It was unethical, malicious, and disrespectful towards the citizens for the school board to change non agenda public comment time from 3 minutes to 2 minutes," Sandberg said. "The board was still supposed to respect the public comment time of all of the other citizens."
Earlier in the meeting the board read its public-participation rules aloud: agenda-item speakers are limited to three minutes, group representatives may speak for up to six minutes, and non-agenda speakers are limited to two minutes. The statement also reminded speakers to direct comments to the board and not to the audience and forbade yielding or transferring speaking time.
Sandberg later returned during the non-agenda comment period and repeated allegations about the district's treatment of students with disabilities, saying the district had taken "malicious legal actions" in at least one case and that families and employees face retaliation for raising concerns. Those claims were voiced as assertions in public comment; no legal filings or specific case details were brought forward during the meeting.
Board members did not take action during public comment. Attorney Johnson indicated he would defer any legal discussion to a later time.
