The Gwinnett County school board has instituted new public comment protocol, requiring parents to refrain from speaking until after official business -- including voting -- has been conducted.
Parents also must fill out request forms by Monday prior to any monthly business meeting to engage the board.
Gwinnett’s requirements now are among the most rigid in metro Atlanta, and parents and others say the changes have made it far more difficult to weigh in on key issues.
“Having the public comment period at the end of the meeting shuts down the public voice on controversial issues,” said Marlyn Tillman a community activist who often speaks before the board. “People are going to have to wait to say their peace. For parents who have kids, we are talking about waiting until much later to get home.”
Fulton, Forsyth, DeKalb and Cobb school boards each provide time during their business meetings for public comment before any board action is taken.
Gwinnett Schools officials, however, said the changes will improve meeting efficiency. School board meetings typically end around between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., depending on the items on the agenda and the parents who wish to speak.
“It allows the board to conduct and finish all of its business at one time and then the citizens who signed up to speak before the board will have an opportunity to speak,” said Sloan Roach, Gwinnett Schools spokeswoman. “We have a public forum before the meeting that allows anyone who has not signed up on the agenda an opportunity to address the board.”
Yet the earlier forum, which has been pushed back 15 minutes to 6:15 p.m, generally has been poorly attended because of the inconvenient time and lack of audience. Walk-ins and others who want earlier time with the board will now have to get to Suwanee in rush hour. Yet even at the later time, the earlier public forum attracted only 11 speakers last year for a district of 160,000 students.
Roach said the earlier time for the early public forum will allow a 15-minute break before the formal board meeting begins. She said it will improve the transition between meetings and give large groups time to fill seats without disturbing speakers.
More parents choose to speak during the board meeting, where they have a larger audience.
Gwinnett has been criticized by parents in the past for taking action that has had limited public input.
Elsewhere, the Fulton County school board invites public comment during its business meetings before voting and leaves two of seven speaking slots open for walk-ins.
“If board members are discussing an item and it’s up for vote, this allows the community to give their input before the board takes action,” said Susan Hale, a district spokeswoman.
DeKalb and Cobb also allow parents to register on the same day and speak to the board during the business meeting.
Changes by Gwinnett won’t limit public access to the board and parents will have the same opportunities they’ve always had, Roach said. For hotly debated issues such as redistricting, a separate public hearing will be held to allow more input, she said.
“We have just made some minor changes,” Roach said.
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