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Proposed changes to Detroit school board policy would eliminate people’s ability to make public comments when they attend board meetings virtually.

The changes would also require those who want to speak in person to provide more information than is currently required and would allocate more speaking time to speakers who need an interpreter or have a disability.

These are some of the new features of a proposed policy that generally aims to codify current practices into official policy. Misha Stallworth West, who chairs the board’s policy committee, said that in addition to making sure current practices are put in writing, the proposed policy “helps ensure there is no confusion between the board and the public about what happens and how it happens’.

The public participation policy applies to all board meetings within the Detroit Community School District, including board meetings on the second Tuesday of each month, as well as board finance, academic and policy committee meetings.

Each meeting allows for public comments.

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 the board and the district know what their views are, what their concerns are, what their interests are for their schools. So it’s important to make sure people are informed about how that process works and how to use it to their advantage.”

The proposed changes went before the council for a first reading on October 8. Stallworth West said only one person expressed concern about the changes.

During an Oct. 15 public forum, Aliya Moore, who is running for the Detroit school board and is a regular public commentator at board meetings, urged the public to read the current policy and the proposed changes.

She said the board is trying to “narrow that public comment” with recommendations.

“They don’t want you to cheer, they don’t want you to struggle. They don’t want you to lure other people in,” said Moore, who described herself as someone who sometimes gets into dating. “But still, I try to be precise, I try to be honest, and I try to get my facts straight before I go up there barking.”

Here’s a closer look at the proposed changes.

There would be new registration rules for public comments

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) at 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 have to fill out a form that would include:

• Their first and last name.
• The community in which I live.
• The organization it represents, if it represents an organization.
• The items on the agenda they intend to speak on or the topic of their speech if it is a non-agenda topic.
• They must note whether they used the district’s grievance process to resolve the issue they are talking about.
• A signature confirming that they will follow the policy guidelines.

Stallworth West said the proposed policy does not prevent people from speaking on non-agenda topics, but she said “we want to encourage people to focus on the agenda” and stressed that there are other ways to provide information .

No more virtual public comments

The Detroit District streams its meetings live, which can be viewed on the district website and YouTube. Virtual viewers who wish to comment must log 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 outlining how virtual public comments will be conducted.

“It was a very tough choice,” Stallworth West said of the proposal.

Among the concerns that led to the recommendation: It is impossible to ensure compliance with board guidelines allowing one comment per person due to the possibility of one person logging in on multiple devices and under different names. There are also accessibility issues, and it’s impossible to tell if people commenting virtually are who they say they are.

“Right now, it’s very difficult to make sure that it respects the spirit of public comment for everyone in the community,” Stallworth said.

Extra talk time for some

Current policy allows public commentators to speak for three minutes. Once the three minutes are up, the 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 affects their speech and for those who need an interpreter to translate their comments.

“In these cases, the time may be extended by up to 6 minutes or more at the discretion of the chairperson,” the proposal said.

Here are some additional features of the proposed policy:

• Speakers may not give up any of their speaking time to another speaker. This was common practice, but it did not stop commentators from requesting that their time be given.
• People attending the meeting may not distribute documents, handouts or leaflets inside the meeting room. But I can hand out materials at the front door.
• The following practices are discouraged: cheering, clapping, cheering, 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 this is email to board members. You can also email Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.

Check it out district calendar to see when meetings are taking place.

Lori Higgins is the Chalkbeat Detroit Bureau Chief. You can reach her at [email protected].