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Senate committee advances bill to guarantee public comment at school board meetings
Summary
The Senate Education Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 90, which would require school districts to provide a public comment opportunity before business sessions while allowing districts to set reasonable procedural limits.
Senate Bill 90, authored by Sen. Jane English, would require every public school district to provide an opportunity for members of the public to speak before the start of the business portion of a school board meeting while permitting districts to set time and decorum rules.
Proponents said the measure restores a baseline of transparency and public access in local school governance. “People really need an opportunity to be able to voice their opinion and to be heard,” Sen. Jane English said in opening remarks, noting the bill allows districts to determine time limits and excludes comments about personnel or individual students.
Supporters at the committee hearing described local examples where public comment was restricted or made difficult. Karen Maynard, a member of the Pulaski County Special School District board, told the committee her district allows three-minute public comments and posts a sign-up sheet; she said that access should be available in other districts as…
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