![]() However, the draft presented Monday is not the final version that the board will likely vote on later this month. Dudley said the policy committee will meet again and could incorporate more suggestions from board members beforehand. "Looking at what other districts are doing, what we’re allowed to do, what we’re not allowed to do in order to make it so that we can have public comment and the most people can participate in the best way." "We’ve really worked hard at this," Browning said of the revisions. The draft policy no longer includes how to place an item or topic on the agenda. The draft also says that attendees with large signs must stand in the back as to not obstruct the view between board and audience and signs “may not contain cussing, lewd, or patently offensive language, threats, references to violence, alcohol, or weapons.” Other highlights of the draft of revisions include that sign up closes 10 minutes before the start of the meeting and speakers must live within the school district or be an employee. Unlike school boards in neighboring districts, speakers during public comment at Carmel don't have to stick to agenda items and that continues to be the case per the draft of revisions. The bylaw on public comment first was on the board's agenda in June, and Dudley told the board then that updates would likely include aspects that were already in practice such as speakers must sign up themselves and no longer have to say their address aloud at the podium. The board committee is members Katie Browning and Mike Kerschner, the latter of who was appointed to the committee by Beresford on Monday to fill the spot vacated by now-former board member Pam Knowles, who retired the same day. The Carmel school board's policy committee along with assistant superintendent Amy Dudley review board policies, and any changes are on the board agenda twice before a vote, typically back-to-back meetings. State law doesn't require public comment at school board meetings, and policies on how comment sessions work are up to individual boards. ![]() When the school board decided to temporarily suspend public comment at meetings, the bylaw regarding public comment was already under regular revisions. ![]() "What cannot continue is the divisive anger and personal attacks that the board, teachers, and administrators are receiving via email, phone calls, social media, and during public comment," Beresford said.īoard was already updating public comment bylaw The district has since added metal detectors to board meetings.Ĭarmel Superintendent Michael Beresford addressed the behavior from the public at an August school board workshop session, which happened before it was announced that public comments were suspended for the next meeting. ![]() Also at the July meeting, a man was arrested while sitting in the audience after a handgun fell from his pocket. Several months later, speakers before the Carmel board read aloud from books that featured transgender characters and books that had sexually explicit passages, some of which are available in the schools. In April, speakers at Carmel's board meeting called diversity, equity and inclusion efforts divisive, political and promoting a "woke set of ideology." The speakers and their supporters cheered and ended comments with "not my child, not my school." ![]()
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