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Proposed changes to Detroit school board policy would eliminate people’s ability to make public comments when they’re attending board meetings virtually.
The changes would also require those who want to speak in person to provide more information than is currently necessary and would allot more speaking time to speakers who need a translator or have a disability.
Those are some of the new features of a proposed policy that overall is aimed at codifying current practices into official policy. Misha Stallworth West, who chairs the board’s policy committee, said that in addition to ensuring that current practices are put in writing, the proposed policy “helps to ensure there’s not confusion between the board and the public around what’s happening and how it happens.”
The public participation policy applies to all meetings of the Detroit Public Schools Community District board, including the board meetings on the second Tuesday of each month, as well as meetings of the board’s finance, academics, and policy committee.
Each meeting allows for public comment.
During a brief policy meeting earlier this month, Stallworth West said it will be important to communicate the proposed policy changes to the community.
“We understand that the community uses public comment as a tool to make sure that the board and the district knows what their opinions are, what their concerns are, what their interests are for their schools. So, making sure people are informed about how that process works and how to utilize it to their benefit is important.”
The proposed changes came before the board for a first reading on Oct. 8. Stallworth West said only one person has expressed concerns about the changes.
During an Oct. 15 public forum, Aliya Moore, who is running for the Detroit school board and is a regular public commenter at board meetings, urged the public to read the current policy and the proposed changes.
She said the board is trying to “restrict this public comment” with the recommendations.
“They don’t want you clapping, they don’t want you heckling. They don’t want you enticing others,” said Moore, who described herself as someone who at times gets passionate at meetings. “But yet I try to be precise, I try to be truthful, and I try to have my facts straight before I get up there barking.”
Here’s a closer look at the proposed changes.
There would be new rules to register for public comment
Currently, people who want to speak during the public comment period of a board meeting must fill out a form with their name (or a number) during the beginning of the meeting. Registration usually ends shortly after the meeting begins. During public comment, the board president uses those registration cards to call people to the microphone to speak.
The process would be the same, but speakers would need to fill out a form that includes:
- Their first and last name.
- The community in which they live.
- The organization they represent, if they are representing an organization.
- The agenda items they plan to speak about, or the subject of their speech if it is an item that isn’t on the agenda.
- They must note whether they have used the district’s complaint process to resolve the issue they are speaking about.
- A signature acknowledging they will abide by the guidelines of the policy.
Stallworth West said the proposed policy doesn’t bar people from speaking on topics that aren’t on the agenda, but she said “we want to encourage folks to focus on the agenda” and emphasized that there are other avenues for providing input.
No more virtual public commenting
The Detroit district livestreams its meetings, which are viewable on the district website and YouTube. Those watching virtually who want to make a comment must sign into a Zoom webinar and raise their hand to indicate they want to speak.
That won’t be possible under the new rules, which remove language from the policy that outlined how virtual public comment would be carried out.
“It was a really tough choice,” Stallworth West said of this particular proposal.
Among the concerns that led to the recommendation: It’s impossible to ensure that board guidelines that allow for one comment per person are followed, because of the possibility that a person could sign in on multiple devices and under different names. There are also accessibility issues, and it’s impossible to determine if people who comment virtually are who they say they are.
“Right now, it’s just really difficult to ensure that it is living up to the spirit of public comment for everyone in the community,” Stallworth said.
Extra speaking time for some
The current policy allows public commenters to speak for three minutes. Once their three minutes are up, microphones are silenced and the board president moves on to the next speaker.
The proposed policy includes new language that provides an exception to the three-minute rule for speakers who have a disability that impacts their speech and those who need an interpreter to translate their comments.
“In these instances, the time may be extended up to 6 minutes or longer at the discretion of the presiding officer,” the proposal says.
Here some additional features of the proposed policy:
- Speakers can’t yield any of their speaking time to another speaker. This has been current practice, but hasn’t stopped commenters from requesting that their time be yielded.
- People attending the meeting cannot distribute documents, handouts, or leaflets inside the meeting room. But they can distribute materials at the entrance door.
- The following practices are discouraged: clapping, applauding, heckling, and verbal outbursts.
Other ways to be heard
Can’t make it to a meeting but have a concern or feedback to share? One of the best ways to do that is to email board members. You can also email Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.
Check out the district calendar to see when meetings are being held.
Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.
