School board workshop moves to revise Rule Development Policy 10-20 on public participation, committee reports and student-centered time

BROWARD COUNTY — The Broward County School Board discussed a set of changes to Rule Development Policy 10-20 during a workshop session, signaling consensus on three principal items: changing committee-reporting frequency to quarterly in-person presentations with monthly written submissions, adding guidance that workshops should devote at least half of meeting time to student-centered topics, and removing a clause that gave the chair authority to interrupt speakers for "obscene, personally directed or abusive" comments.

The board chair opened the workshop item on Rule Development Policy 10-20 and turned it to staff for discussion before public comment. Doctor Natalie Lynch Walsh, a public commenter, urged the district to make workshop agendas publicly visible three months in advance and cited Florida law she said the policy should reference, including Florida Statute 768.295 (a provision addressing strategic lawsuits against public participation) and what she described as the Florida Volunteer Protection Act (cited verbally as 768.1355). Walsh also raised concerns about committee members’ legal protections and memos from the deputy general counsel.

The board then debated committee-report…