Community members signing up to attend regular Tumwater School District Board meetings will now have to be reviewed and approved, according to new public comment guidelines.
The move to review the list of sign ups, which revises the rule of accepting the first 10, is being done to ensure a broad range of perspectives on the topics within the board's scope of responsibility, the school district said.
“Per Board Policy 1400, public comment opportunities are available at the monthly regular board meeting at which final action is to take place. To ensure a balanced and productive public comment period, as of May 14, 2025, the district is updating our sign-up process,” the school district’s website states.
The district stated the change aims to “make the most” of the 30-minutes allotted for the public comment period and ensure various topics are heard, especially comments related to action items on the agenda.
Individuals or groups not selected to comment live are being asked to email their comments to the school board.
The district released the following guidelines:
“Subject Matter Assignment: To ensure a diverse range of topics and opportunity for comments related to action items, public comment slots will be based on the subject matter submitted. Priority will be given to subjects aligned with the agenda.
Sign-up Deadline: The cut-off for public comment sign-up will be at 9 AM the day of the meeting. This allows for speakers to be notified in a timely manner.
Notification: Whether or not you are selected to speak, you will be informed after the sign-up deadline. If you are not selected, please forward your comments to the school board members via email.”
The next regular board meeting is on Wednesday, May 21.
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Virge13
Hmmmmm. So if my comments aren’t desired, I’ll be silenced?
Wednesday, May 21 Report this
JustSaying
This is a very slippery slope. And it screams of first amendment infringement. Instead of squashing parents' opportunity to give input into what happens in our schools, why not focus on decorum at these meetings?
Wednesday, May 21 Report this
bobkat
Hmm.... not sure about the propriety/legality of The Board "hand selecting" those who wish to speak. BUT - I can see the efficacy of asking the intended speaker to submit an outline re: the the topic(s) which they wish to address, and limiting the speakers comment, within their allotted time, to those subject(s). The comments must be germain to the Board's pre-published agenda in order to keep the meeting from wandering off into the weeds.
Wednesday, May 21 Report this
Carolyn Byerly
Surely there is a better way to manage disruptions. If challenged, I can't imagine this will stand.
Thursday, May 22 Report this
Boatyarddog
Trying to route question askers ..... sounds like The Current President.
Thursday, May 22 Report this