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Board changes public-comment schedule and hears heated remarks in public comment
Summary
The board voted to move public comment to the start of business meetings and to the end of work sessions (retaining 30 speakers × 2 minutes); public commenters raised accusations about board members' past statements, asked for reversal of a policy removal, requested more time for organizational comments and offered community programs.
The Calvert County Board of Education changed its meeting procedures to hold public comment at the beginning of business meetings and at the end of work sessions, retaining the existing limit of 30 speakers at two minutes each. The motion to change the public-comment schedule carried 5-0.
During the public-comment block, speakers raised a range of concerns and requests. One speaker urged the removal of two board members and labeled past podcast remarks as evidence for conflicts of interest, criticizing specific episodes and promising to publish archived audio. The Calvert County NAACP thanked the board for reinstating public comment at the beginning of meetings and asked the board to allow organizations more than two minutes for remarks. Another speaker asked about ADA compliance for a playground bid and urged reinstatement of a removed "anti-racism" policy, arguing the removal left some students vulnerable to racial slurs.
Other public commentators offered community programming: a county beekeeper and school bus driver offered free classroom instruction on pollinators and environmental topics and suggested working with local elementary schools. The board acknowledged comments and said written testimony would be distributed to board members as requested, noting the district cannot respond during the meeting but will follow up via provided contact information.
