Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment Achievement Gap topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public commenter urges action on achievement gap; board bars speaker after extended remarks
Summary
A public commenter, Michael McCain, presented detailed data on persistent achievement gaps and asked for a special meeting; after he continued past his allotted time the board moved and voted to bar him from future public comments.
Public comment at the Lynchburg City School Board meeting included an extended address by Michael McCain, who called attention to persistent achievement gaps and posted student performance figures, and requested a special follow-up meeting with the board.
McCain cited multiple division testing figures during his remarks, for example: “Only 36% of black students passed [third-grade reading], compared to 76% of the white students,” and later referenced multi-year SOL pass rates and chronic absenteeism rates. He argued the board and academic committees had not acted on the data and asked the board to schedule a special meeting to discuss remedies.
After McCain continued speaking past the public-comment time limit and declined repeated requests to yield the lectern, a board member moved that he be barred from future public comments. The motion passed on a roll-call vote (6–1), with Missus Preston recorded as the sole “no” vote. Board members and meeting staff noted that district rules prohibit back-and-forth discussion with public speakers during the public-comment period and urged Mr. McCain to use offered channels for follow-up; board members also said the district is continuing curriculum and intervention work through the Academic Success Committee and district staff.
