The Board appreciates the public sharing its views, concerns and commendations, and the members will be listening carefully. The purpose of the public address is for the Board to hear from members of the public. By policy, the Board will not respond to speakers during the meeting. Matters of concern may be referred to a Board committee, the administration, or held over for further discussion at a subsequent meeting. The Superintendent will follow up with individuals as appropriate.
There are two ways for speakers to provide public comment: either in person or via telephone, as time permits.
A sign-up sheet for members of the public who wish to speak in person will be available from 4:45 to 5:25 p.m. on the day of the meeting at the location of the meeting.
Speakers who sign up to address the Board will be called up in priority order, first for MCS’s students and employees, then for other members of the public.
When technology permits, members of the public who wish to speak via telephone may call 910-944-3171 between 4:45 to 5:25 p.m. to leave a voicemail with their name and phone number. They will receive a call when it is their turn to speak. Call-in comments will follow in-person comments, if time permits.
Time is limited to 3 minutes per individual speaker – no “yielding” of time to other speakers and no extra time for those speaking on behalf of groups. A clock is displayed on the screen to allow the speaker to know when his/her time is up. The speaker is expected to stop when the countdown is complete.
If the speaker has some printed information to share with Board members, the items should be handed to the Executive Assistant to the Superintendent and Board of Education, Cindy Parker, who will be responsible for distribution. Those providing comment via telephone may email additional documents to
[email protected]
Discussions regarding particular individual employees, student records, or other matters which are required to be kept confidential may not be discussed in this open forum setting. For complaints or grievances by or about individual employees, please reference Board Policy 8450 (Complaints), Board Policy 3900 (Grievance Procedure for Employees) or Board Policy 6902 (Student Grievances).
The Board will allow for a total of two hours of in-person public comment and comments via telephone will follow, if time permits.
All comments must be respectful and civil per ordinary rules of order and decorum.