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Robertson County Schools

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Public Comment at School Board Meetings

Board of Education Board Room

Request to be included on the Agenda

A request form (found below) must be completed and returned with written statement to the Board of Education Secretary at least seven (7) days prior to the date of the meeting at which you want to speak. You may also email completed requests to the Board of Education Secretary (see email below). Your request will be referred to the Director of Schools.

Unless you are notified to the contrary, you will be scheduled to speak subject to the following rules:

  1. Time limit of presentation will not exceed three (3) minutes;
  2. Subject matter, other than that of policy, will be referred to the Administration for proper handling;
  3. Subject matter must be limited to issues, without reference to personalities;
  4. Presentation will be in consonance with good taste and decorum befitting the occasions and dignity of the Board meeting.

Request to speak under the "public comment period."

This form must be completed and returned to the Board of Education secretary five (5) minutes prior to the start of the meeting;

  1. Time limit of comments will not exceed two (2) minutes;
  2. Subject matter, other than that of policy, will be referred to the Administration for proper handling;
  3. Subject matter must be limited to issues, without reference to personalities;
  4. Presentation will be in consonance with good taste and decorum befitting the occasions and dignity of the Board meeting.
  5. The Board will not allow profane language, threats, loud comments, or excessive noise (to include jeers, shouts, and boisterous applause or demonstrations, as well as music, sound effects, and other noise from electronic devices) from the floor. Disruptive persons will be asked to leave the meeting room. In accordance with Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-17-306, any person who acts to prevent, obstruct, or interfere with any lawful meeting of the Robertson County School Board by physical action or verbal utterance shall be warned by the Chair, Vice Chair, or Board Attorney to discontinue those actions. Law enforcement may lawfully remove any person from the meeting who refuses to cease his or her acts of preventing, obstructing, or interfering with any such meeting.
  6. The presiding Board officer or the Board Attorney may interrupt or terminate a presentation when its length has exceeded the two (2) minute time limit, or when the presentation is obscene, threatening, profane, vulgar, unduly repetitive, or irrelevant to the business before the School Board.
  7. The Chair may limit the number of individuals who will be recognized to speak on one side of any given issue. Delegations shall select only one (1) individual to speak on their behalf unless otherwise determined by the Board.
  8. Public Comment period will be limited to thirty (30) minutes.
  9. No person will present orally or discuss at any open meeting of the Board complaints against individual employees of the School District on matters involving disciplinary action against employees or students until all administrative requirements relating to employee grievances or student disciplinary matters have been followed.
Please Note:  Board Meetings are conducted for the purpose of carrying on the business of the schools, and, therefore, are not public meetings, but meetings which are held in public. The Board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of involving members of the public in its meetings.

The Board requires that such participants be either residents or employees of the School District or the designee of such residents or employees. Individuals who wish to make a presentation should file a request, in writing, to the Director of Schools seven (7) days prior to the meeting and shall include specific information regarding the topic to be brought to the Board’s attention.

Resources

Board of Education Secretary

Donna Trice

Email: