Delaware Valley board discusses adding sign-in with municipality for public commenters

Delaware Valley School District board members discussed adding a requirement that anyone who intends to speak at a board meeting sign a sheet listing their name and municipality, and asked staff to draft policy language for the next voting meeting.

Board members raised the proposal during the second review of the district’s public-comment policy, saying a sign-in sheet would help establish an order of speakers and confirm that commenters are local residents. "If anyone plans on speaking at a meeting, they are required to sign in with a name and municipality," a board member said during the discussion. The speaker also said the district has received a parent email recommending that police check identification of speakers; the board rejected that approach but embraced a sign-in sheet as a less burdensome alternative.

Proponents said the sign-in requirement should be minimally intrusive and applied liberally to avoid suppressing late arrivals. "If somebody does show up late, they still get to talk," a board member said; the group repeatedly emphasized that signing in would not be mandatory for attendance. Board members asked staff to prepare draft language and bring it to the June voting agenda so the board can amend and vote on it in two weeks.

The board also discussed keeping an optional topic column on the sign-in sheet. One member said they would prefer not to require a topic entry because people sometimes decide to speak spontaneously. Another board member suggested using the sign-in order as the speaking order to maintain decorum at larger meetings.

No formal motion or vote was taken at the work session; the board directed staff to draft policy language and return it for consideration at the next business meeting.