St. Charles School Board reviewing guidelines for public participation at board meetings

St. Charles School Board members are reviewing the board’s guidelines for public participation at board meetings.

The issue was discussed during the School Board’s Policy Committee meeting on July 26. As board member Becky McCabe noted, a School Board meeting is not a town hall meeting.

“The time that we do our work is at a board meeting,” McCabe said. “If we wanted as a board to do a town hall – and please know that I’m not necessarily recommending that – that would look different. That would be a dialogue.”

McCabe talked about ways the board could better communicate about how a School Board meeting is conducted.

“We’ve always talked about the administration putting together a brochure that can be put on chairs so that people know what a board meeting is all about,” she said.

In addition, McCabe stressed there are other ways a resident can reach out to the School Board.

“I also think it’s real important that they also know there’s many ways to connect with us,” McCabe said. “This is one place of many where they can let their opinions be shared.”

McCabe also felt it was important for the board to ask speakers where they live.

“We wouldn’t say that you can’t speak, but that helps us to know,” McCabe said. “I think if we have people who come and speak and they aren’t part of our community, we should be aware of that. I know that some districts say you have to say your exact address. I don’t think that’s a safe thing to do, but I would not mind to know whether they live within the D303 community.”

Board member and Policy Committee Chairman Chairman Joseph Lackner said it is his desire to “bring back a draft that is both compliant with our policy and with our legal obligations, but also better reflects the board’s intention to hear the community talk and to listen to what it is they have to say.”

School Board member Carolyn Waibel said she would like for it to be explained to residents that board members do read all the emails sent to them, even though they might not respond to them.

“If you’ve sent us an email, if you’ve sent us communication, we’ve seen it, we’ve read it,” Waibel said. “I know that a lot of our constituents feel that we are not reading them because someone from the board isn’t always responding.”

Board member Ed McNally said he thought the board president or someone from the administration would be the best person to reply to those emails.

“When we’re talking about what is the board’s official position, certainly the board president or a designee from the administration would be the appropriate person to respond,” McNally said. “i think that sometimes people send emails to us hoping to hear what each one of us thinks.”

According to the board’s current policy, If contacted individually, board members will refer the person to the appropriate level of authority, except in unusual situations.

“Board members’ questions or communications to staff or about programs will be channeled through the Superintendent’s office,” the policy states. “Board members will not take individual action that might compromise the board or district.”