Committee weighs in-house streaming, accessibility and appendix approach for district-wide live-streaming policy

Chair opened the ad hoc policy committee meeting at 4 p.m. at Hilton Head Middle School and introduced a model policy to require live streaming of all school board meetings in line with state requirements, asking members to review operational details and accessibility language.

Committee members and staff focused on two immediate decisions: ensuring the policy explicitly requires reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (including closed captions), and whether the district should continue contracting with the Beaufort County channel or build in-house streaming capability. Staff confirmed the district has the technical capability to provide captions and accessibility features and recommended explicit ADA language in the policy.

Staff described an existing memorandum of agreement with the Beaufort County channel that covers main board events, some work sessions and graduation ceremonies for about $45,000 a year. That contract, staff said, handles roughly 20-plus board meetings and six graduations. Staff warned that bringing streaming fully in-house would require additional manpower, mobile equipment and transportation logistics (potentially using a county vehicle or box truck), and that mobile gear typically requires more frequent replacement than fixed cameras.

On staffing and cost, staff estimated a dedicated technician’s salary might be about $65,000; including payroll taxes, retirement and benefits, staff presented an overall personnel-and-equipment forecast in the six-figure range (staff characterized the total cost as roughly $100,000–$110,000 over time). Some committee members said the $45,000 contract price represents a lower-cost, lower-risk option and urged caution about diverting funds from classrooms to provide in-house production.

Committee members also raised nonfinancial issues: the district’s YouTube channel metadata and organization make older videos hard to locate, and members suggested organizing material into date- and committee-specific folders to improve discoverability. One member proposed exploring internships or partnerships with local colleges for AV support and training.

On policy drafting, members debated an outcome-based governing policy that delegates operational details to the superintendent and places the technical specifications in an appendix or administrative regulation. The group agreed to call the operational text "Appendix 1" and remove the phrase "when practicable" from blanket language that requires video/audio recording for board meetings; they also directed staff to annotate South Carolina Department of Education model policy requirements and cite FOIA/Information Act compliance where appropriate.

The committee discussed statutory procedure for adopting policy and submitting it to the State Board of Education for approval; members noted statutes generally contemplate multiple readings though the board can vote for fewer. Chair proposed scheduling the policy reading for the board work session on Nov. 21; staff said they would attempt to finalize edits and bring the revised language to that session. The meeting closed by unanimous consent.

Highlights from the discussion included explicit direction to add ADA-focused language for closed captioning, staff’s description of the Beaufort County channel contract at about $45,000 per year, and the committee’s decision to place operational details in an appendix while charging staff with producing a concise five-year technology plan for the technology committee.