Board warned of proposed Tennessee law that would expand non-agenda public comments
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Summary
A speaker alerted the Cannon County Board of Education that House Bill 0022/Senate 0178 would require school boards to allow members of the public to address the board on matters not on the agenda, creating separate on-agenda and off-agenda comment periods; the bill passed the House and was deferred in the Senate to March.
A speaker told the Cannon County Board of Education on Feb. 10 that pending Tennessee legislation would change how school boards receive public comment, potentially requiring boards to provide separate time for comments on matters not included on the meeting agenda.
"There is a bill in legislation right now concerning public comments," the speaker said, identifying the measure as House Bill 0022 and Senate 0178 and saying it previously passed the House and is now in the Senate. The speaker told board members the measure, if enacted, would require the board to allow members of the public to address the board about items not on the published agenda as well as items that are on the agenda.
The speaker said the Senate deferred action on the bill to March. Board members acknowledged the need to be aware of the pending change, which would require operational adjustments to meeting procedures and time allotments for public comment.
No formal board action or policy change was taken at the Feb. 10 workshop; the comment served as an informational notice to the board.
Next steps: board staff and counsel may need to review the bill text and, if enacted, update public-comment procedures to accommodate separate on-agenda and off-agenda comment periods.