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Procedures and Guidelines for Public Participation in Board Meetings

 

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The Board of Education welcomes the opportunity to hear from members of the public about matters concerning the Weston Public Schools. Public comment is an important chance for the Board to receive input and feedback from our school community. We listen attentively to all comments shared.

While we value and pay close attention to public comment, it is our practice not to respond substantively, or sometimes at all, during public comment. There are several reasons for this:

  • First, engaging in a discussion on non-agenda items could violate the Board’s obligations to comply with the Freedom of Information Act.
  • Second, the Board or the administration may not be prepared to discuss certain matters raised in the first instance by a public comment. Board discussions typically involve a great deal of preparation by the administration and the Board to facilitate meaningful and productive deliberations in public. Similarly, the Board or the administration may not have answers prepared to questions posed by community members during Board meetings, and may need to follow up at a later time.
  • Third, the Board develops its meeting agenda carefully to ensure that the Board addresses matters that are pressing or relevant at the time of the meeting. Responding to each public comment could take away the time the Board has to cover its agenda items, which could risk impacting school district operations.

We encourage members of the public with specific questions, concerns, or complaints about our schools to reach out directly to Superintendent Barbiero. You may also email the Board at our email address, boardofeducation@westonps.org.

The process for public comment is as follows:

When a regular meeting is held in-person, public comment is in-person. 

  • The date, time, location, and agenda link will be posted on the district calendar,  
  • When the meeting is in-person, and you wish to participate in public comment, you will need to come to the meeting location in-person,
  • When called upon to speak, you will be asked to identify yourself by your full name and street address,
  • Please familiarize yourself with Bylaws of the Board Policy 9325 Meeting Conduct; five minutes may be allotted to each speaker and a maximum of twenty minutes to each subject matter.

When a regular meeting is held remotely, public comment is remote via the Zoom webinar. 

  • The date, time, agenda link, and link to join the Zoom webinar will be posted on the district calendar,
  • When the meeting is remote, and you would like to participate in public comment, please use the Zoom webinar link,
  • When called upon to speak via the Zoom webinar, we ask that your display name indicate your name, you will be asked to turn on your camera, and identify yourself by your full name and street address,
  • Please familiarize yourself with Bylaws of the Board Policy 9325 Meeting Conduct; five minutes may be allotted to each speaker and a maximum of twenty minutes to each subject matter