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Board hears public comments on proposed Policy B-BOPS; callers urge defined response times and clearer records rules
Summary
At a public hearing the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education heard two community speakers who urged the proposed Board Operations policy (B-BOPS) be revised to define "sensitive information," set response-time expectations for constituent inquiries, and add deadlines for clerks' recordkeeping.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education on Feb. 11 held a public hearing on the proposed Policy B–BOPS (Board Operations) and a related modification to Policy B–SUPT (Superintendent–Board Relations). Two speakers asked the board to clarify how constituent services and board records would be handled under the new rules.
The comment period matters because the policies set responsibilities for board operations staff and the board clerk and shape how parents and community members will receive responses and records from the board office.
Ashley Wiley, a parent and public commenter, said the district’s phone and email responsiveness is inconsistent and leaves families frustrated. “It doesn’t take much to pick up a phone and reach out to a parent when they have a concern. Nine out of 10 problems can literally be solved if you pick up a phone and you just simply hear them out,” Wiley said. She added that when parents email board services they often receive no reply and that lack of response “is when they go looking for help in other places.” Wiley urged the board to adopt a policy that results in timely, accountable responses.
Devonya Govan Hunt, representing the Black Child Development Institute Carolinas, told the board the draft policy “clearly defines the role of board operations, constituent services, and the board clerk,” but recommended several clarifications. Govan Hunt asked the board to define what qualifies as “sensitive information” and how such material will be managed; to “specify expected response time for public inquiries;” and to state how and when matters would be escalated from board operations to the superintendent and district staff. She also recommended distinguishing formal complaints (which she said follow a separate process) from general inquiries and adding deadlines for clerks’ recordkeeping duties, for example, when meeting minutes should be finalized.
Board officials conducting the hearing reviewed rules restricting public remarks to the hearing’s topic and reminded speakers not to raise confidential personnel or student matters.
After the two comments, the public hearing was declared closed by the presiding chair. The board did not take an immediate vote on the policy draft; public input will be part of the record as the board considers revisions.
