Public Participation at Board Meetings

The Jonesport, Beals and Moosabec CSD Boards invite the public to attend their meetings. They feel that it is very important for interested persons to know about the workings of the schools. Further, it is important for the Board and Administration to understand what is important to the community. The public is invited to participate in the meeting in accordance with the policy and rules established by the Board.

The primary purpose of the meeting is for the Board to conduct its business as charged by law. Meetings of the Board are public in the sense that they are held in public. This does not mean they are public meetings in the same sense as a "town meeting". There is no statutory requirement in Maine that the public be permitted to speak at Board meetings. However, the Board welcomes comments and concerns related to the matters under consideration by the Board, within the guidelines set forth in Board policy "Public Comment at Board Meetings" (Code BEDH). There is a twenty-minute "Public Comment" period at the beginning of each agenda where the public can speak to agenda items or other issues they feel the Board should know. After that twenty minute period has expired, the Board then must complete its work and open discussion with persons present at the meeting is discontinued.

No complaints or allegations will be allowed at Board meetings concerning any person employed by the school system or against particular students. Personal matters or complaints concerning students or staff issues will not be considered in a public meeting but will be referred through established policies and procedures.

To be eligible to address the Board, an individual should reside within the towns served by the Board., or be invited to speak by the Board or the Superintendent of Schools.