Watch & Deliver Public Comment at the School Board Meeting

The public is invited to attend meetings, with the exception of closed sessions. See the meeting calendar. The Board reserves the right to reschedule meetings as needed.

Regular Public Meetings

These meetings of the full Board usually occur on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month; in months when there are school holiday breaks, only one meeting is scheduled. The closed executive session typically begins at 3:00 p.m., and the public business meeting starts at 5:00 p.m. The meeting agenda is posted to BoardDocs (the Board’s governance website) on the Friday preceding the meeting date. 

The public can provide comments at these meetings, according to a process outlined in Board policy and summarized as follows:

• All public comments should address agenda items or items of educational interest.
• No speaker may use the opportunity of the public comment period to air employee grievances, make complaints on behalf of individual students, or discuss any matters that might come before the Board for appeal.
• In addition to representatives from recognized organizations, up to 10 members of the public may register to speak. Due to central office being closed due to the COVID-19 public health emergency our public comment procedures are being temporarily amended. Members of the public can send can an e-mail of no longer than 400 words that will be read aloud by the Board Executive, a three-minute video that will be broadcast during the meeting or sign up to deliver their comments live during the meeting. Members of the public interested in submitting comments can e-mail Leatrice Jones at LLJones02@bcps.k12.md.us between 4:15 – 5:15 PM.
  Please indicate whether you will be commenting live, submitting a video or submitting an e-mail to be read.
• Translation services for public comment participants for the following languages (Spanish, French, Arabic, Swahili, Tigrigna) will be offered for public board meetings.
• All persons wishing to speak MUST include the following information in their sign-up e-mail or they may void their opportunity to speak: 
  • name,
  • address,
  • email address,
  • telephone number (if applicable),
  • school / civic / community affiliation,
  • agenda topic about which the registrant wishes to speak, and
  • the format to be used: (a) commenting live, (b) submitting a video, or (c) an email to be read
    If planning to provide a video, please attach it.
• Groups must designate one person to speak on their behalf. No more than one entry on the sign-up sheet will be recognized for any one group.
• Individuals who have not fully completed the sign-up sheet may not be called for public comment.
• Each speaker shall be limited to three minutes, and an audible warning shall be given at the conclusion of the three minutes of allotted time.
• Speakers may not yield their time to another individual.
• The chair shall rule out of order the comments of any speaker who verbally and personally attacks a school district employee or Board member or who strays from the agenda item or topic on which the person signed up to speak. Comments made after the speaker is ruled out of order are not included as part of the formal record of the meeting.
• A person attending an open session of the Board may not engage in any conduct that disrupts the session or that interferes with the right of members of the public to attend and observe the session.
• Members of the public joining the call are asked to mute their phones and turn their videos off upon joining. Anyone joining who fails to do so may be muted by the call moderator or removed from the call.
• The Board reserves the right to modify this policy for good cause.

Members of the public joining the call are asked to mute their phones and turn their videos off upon joining. Anyone joining who fails to do so may be muted by the call moderator or removed from the call.

Special Meetings

The Board holds special meetings, workshops, forums, and other events throughout the year to share information with the public and provide opportunities for stakeholders to give input on important topics. Upcoming events are added to the meeting calendar as soon as they are scheduled.

Board Forums

The public can provide comments at these meetings, as summarized as follows:

•  All public comments should address agenda items
• No speaker may use the opportunity of the public comment period to air employee grievances, make complaints on behalf of individual students, or discuss any matters that might come before the Board for appeal.
• Due to central office being closed due to the COVID-19 public health emergency our public comment procedures are being temporarily amended. Members of the public can send can an e-mail of no longer than 400 words that will be read aloud by the Board Executive, a three-minute video that will be broadcast during the meeting, or sign up to deliver their comments live during the meeting. Members of the public interested in submitting comments can e-mail Leatrice Jones at LLJones02@bcps.k12.md.us between 4:15 – 5:15 PM. Please indicate whether you will be commenting live, submitting a video, or submitting an e-mail to be read. Everyone who signs up in the designated time period may provide public comment.
  • NOTE: The Board is providing an opportunity to hear public comment on the Winston Building recommendation. On Tuesday, February 9, 2021, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. members of the public who wish to submit public comment can email Lindsey Anderson, leanderson@bcps.k12.md.us within two hours of the meeting. The time limit for oral testimony at these meetings is 5 minutes. Everyone who signs up in the designated time period may provide public comment.
• All persons wishing to speak MUST include the following information in their sign-up e-mail or they may void their opportunity to speak: 
  •   name,
  • address,
  • email address,
  • telephone number (if applicable),
  •  school / civic / community affiliation, and
  •  the format to be used: (a) commenting live, (b) submitting a video, or (c) an email to be read
    If planning to provide a video, please attach it.
• Groups must designate one person to speak on their behalf. No more than one entry on the sign-up sheet will be recognized for any one group.
• Individuals who have not fully completed the sign-up sheet may not be called for public comment.
• Each speaker shall be limited to three minutes, and an audible warning shall be given at the conclusion of the three minutes of allotted time.
• Speakers may not yield their time to another individual.
• The chair shall rule out of order the comments of any speaker who verbally and personally attacks a school district employee or Board member or who strays from the agenda item or topic on which the person signed up to speak. Comments made after the speaker is ruled out of order are not included as part of the formal record of the meeting.
• A person attending an open session of the Board may not engage in any conduct that disrupts the session or that interferes with the right of members of the public to attend and observe the session.
• Translation services for public comment participants for the following languages (Spanish, French, Arabic, Swahili, Tigrigna) will be offered for Board forums

Members of the public joining the call are asked to mute their phones and turn their videos off upon joining. Anyone joining who fails to do so may be muted by the call moderator or removed from the call.

Committee Meetings

Board committees meet regularly to discuss items relevant to each committee’s charge. Public meetings are included on the meeting calendar.

• Audit Committee: Meets bimonthly in closed session. Generally meets on the third Wednesday of the month, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
• Operations Committee: Generally meets on the third Tuesday of the month, from 10:30 to 12:15 p.m. 
• Policy Committee: Generally meets on the third Tuesday of the month, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 
• Strategic Planning Committee: Meets quarterly in closed session.
• Teaching and Learning Committee: Generally meets on the first Tuesday of the month, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. 

The public is invited to attend Operations, Policy, and Teaching and Learning committee meetings. Public comment is accepted according to these guidelines:

• All comments should address policy-related issues.
• Up to five individuals or groups will be given the opportunity to speak, and must sign up in advance to do so.
• Sign up is available between 9:00 a.m. Thursday and 5:00 p.m. Monday preceding the meeting date by contacting the Board office.
• Sign up is not available on the day of the meeting.
• Translation services for public comment participants for the following languages (Spanish, French, Arabic, Swahili, Tigrigna) will be offered.

Members of the public joining the call are asked to mute their phones and turn their videos off upon joining. Anyone joining who fails to do so may be muted by the call moderator or removed from the call.

Closed Meetings

The Board may convene in a closed session, in accordance with the Maryland Annotated Code, General Provisions Article, § 3-101.  Before any closed meeting is convened, the presiding officer will publicly identify the section or sections of the Open Meetings Act authorizing the closed meeting.