CREATING A WELCOMING BOARD MEETING

A lot of the most contentious issues facing public education these days are being tried in the court of public opinion — on social media, blogs, newspapers, TV news, and during the public comment portion of school board meetings.

With a more engaged public, understanding the legal requirements of the Open Meetings Act (OMA) as it relates to conducting school business isn’t always enough, especially as more family members and community members turn out to school board meetings.

Learning how to embrace public comments, both from a legal and a public relations perspective, is increasingly important to avoid both litigation and negative headlines, as well as to build a strong relationship with your community and families.

Here are some best practices for creating a welcoming board meeting that truly embrace parent input and comply with OMA:

Post Meeting Agendas In Advance

School boards need to post their meeting agendas 72 hours in advance and publish the date and time of the meeting so interested members of the public can attend.

If you know a particular item will draw a large turnout, make sure you have enough space and seating. If it’s necessary to change the usual meeting location to accommodate that turnout, inform parents and the community in as many ways as possible, including social media and the website — not just on the posted agenda.

Plan ahead. Although you may need to move your board meeting to a bigger room across the hall on the night of the meeting, you cannot change the physical address of where the meeting is being held after the agenda has been posted.

Each Person Is Allowed To Speak

School boards must allow “each member of the public” to speak on any agenda item.

Under OMA, school boards can no longer ask groups of people speaking out on the same topic from the same viewpoint to designate a spokesperson. If you have 100 people in the room who want to speak, you need to give them each the opportunity to address the board.

School boards may limit the amount of time given to each speaker, but a minimum of one minute is recommended. The goal is to hear the feedback, so make the environment comfortable and give parents enough time to be heard.

School boards may require anyone who wants to speak to sign up before the meeting by an established deadline, such as 10:30 a.m. the day of the meeting. That gives district officials the opportunity to review the list and contact scheduled speakers before the meeting to discuss their concerns in more detail.

If your board has a sign-up process, make the procedure easy to find on the district website to avoid confusion and to counter any perception that it’s onerous to do so.

Allow Public Comment Before Or During Consideration Of The Item

School boards must allow public comment on an agenda item at the meeting before or during the consideration of the item.

This provision of OMA is intended to keep boards from debating or voting on an item before allowing the public to comment on it. Although boards have flexibility on how they order business at a meeting, the goal is to ensure members of the public may express their views on an issue before a vote is taken.

From a parent engagement perspective, boards should not push those items that may draw a lot of speakers until the end of an agenda, as a long wait to speak may escalate potential tensions. Waiting hours to speak at lengthy board meetings, especially for families who have brought their kids with them, is not parent friendly.

Board presidents should look at the agenda with a parent-friendly lens. If a large turnout is expected at a meeting, it’s OK to order items so that parents may comment at the beginning of the meeting.

Critical Remarks Are Protected

School boards should not shut down critical remarks or stop comments just because they are disagreeable.

As school board meetings attract larger crowds, it’s important to remember that OMA protects public criticism. This means that trustees should not try to interrupt or stop speakers who are openly disparaging or being critical about the district, its programs, or even its staff.

It’s OK to refer people to the grievance process if they have specific complaints about an employee, but it’s important not to restrict speakers who may be rude or disagreeable.

Even amid a contentious meeting with lots of public comments, there is much that trustees can do to mitigate potential problems by being courteous, respectful, and fair with each speaker, regardless of their opinions and comments. This includes:

• Keeping a neutral facial expression

• Paying attention and putting down the phone

• Focusing on the speaker

• Thanking each speaker for coming

Delegate timekeeping to a district employee who can be firm but courteous in making sure everyone has the same time to speak, regardless of what they say. A digital clock visible to the podium speaker, as well as the audience, will help keep people on track.

Help Attendees Understand The Rules

In planning for the public comment portion of a meeting, there is much you can do to ensure a smooth experience for everyone.

A parent who wants to speak at the next board meeting shouldn’t have to go digging through layers of the district website to learn when the meeting is or how to speak up. Make all the information they need — from times and locations to public comment time limits and expected decorum to logistics — easy to find.

Consider printing out the rules for public comment that can be given to attendees when they arrive. Another idea used by some districts is to create a short video featuring students detailing the procedures and protocols of a board meeting that can be shown ahead of the public comment portion of the meeting. It sets a friendly tone and also helps keep a student focus. Ask district administrators to prepare a script for the presiding officer to remind attendees about the policies and procedures for the meeting.

Public comments are a legal obligation for a school board meeting. But trustees and district staff have the opportunity to build trust with their families and communities by taking extra steps to ensure the process not only complies with the law but also makes people feel welcome and respected.

People will remember how they were received and treated at a board meeting, regardless of the issue that brought them out to speak.

The presiding board officer who is running the public comment portion should use a consistent tone with everyone, taking time to thank each speaker.

How To Handle Potential Grievances

Trustees often hear from parents, and even staff members, with very specific and personal complaints involving something that may have happened with a district employee, including claims of bullying, harassment, unfair treatment, student-teacher issues, or discrimination.

Grievance policies

Trustees should be aware of their duties and responsibilities in managing parent or employee complaints. First, school boards are required to adopt local grievance policies. The Texas Education Code outlines a review process for grievances involving parents. Both the Texas Education Code and Texas Labor Code require avenues for complaints by employees. Finally, the Texas Constitution allows citizens to petition the government — including public school districts — for the redress of grievances.

Districts with policy manuals through TASB Policy Service have three separate grievance policies: DGBA(LOCAL) for employee grievances; FNG(LOCAL) for student and parent grievances; and GF(LOCAL) for grievances by all others, including vendors and taxpayers.

TEA “encourages and supports parents and school staff in their efforts to reach a resolution locally.” If informal resolution fails, written complaints can be made, and typically these complaints can escalate to the board of trustees for resolution. As a team of eight, you should discuss and be clear on your district’s grievance processes. As a trustee, you may be called upon to play a role in the appeals process if a grievance can’t be resolved at an administrative level.

How to help parents with a complaint

So imagine a parent comes up to you at the grocery store or corners you after a board meeting to tell you that her daughter’s math teacher won’t give bathroom passes because they have not been returned previously. The class is right after lunch, and it is having an impact on her daughter’s ability to concentrate in class. The parent is upset and says she had been unable to resolve the situation with either the teacher or the school principal.

They have both told her that her daughter should be sure to visit the bathroom during the lunch period.

In this scenario, the important fact is the parent appears to have already attempted to address her complaint informally by contacting the campus teacher and principal. That should always be the first recommendation if a parent hasn’t already done so. If that informal resolution process has not worked, the next step is to gently shift the focus of the conversation to the district’s grievance process.

Many school boards adopt a local policy that speaks to this. For example, TASB recommends the following provision at BBE(LOCAL): “If employees, parents, students, or other members of the public bring concerns or complaints to an individual board member, he or she shall refer them to the superintendent or another appropriate administrator, who shall proceed according to the applicable complaint policy. [See (LOCAL) policies at DGBA, FNG, and GF]”

Here are some talking points that might help ensure you’re able to give the parent important information without compromising a process that might require you, as a school board trustee, to hear the complaint at a later date and determine a resolution:

• Thank you for reaching out to the teacher and principal first. I know this must be really frustrating for you and your daughter. I will personally let the superintendent know that you have concerns and may be reaching out for next steps, including possibly filing a written complaint.

• There is a process the district follows on formal complaints. The steps are detailed in our Board Policy Manual, which is available on the district’s website. All the information about the process for a parent is under Local Policy FNG.

• If you have any problem finding that information, please let our superintendent know and he or she can direct you to the details, including the complaint form.

• If the problems in your child’s classroom can’t be resolved, there’s the possibility that the complaint could come before the school board for a hearing.

• In order for that process to be fair for everyone, it’s important to follow the steps and the timelines carefully.

• If I were to get involved right now, that may require me to recuse myself later and I definitely want to make sure you have every opportunity to get this resolved, and if necessary, have a fair hearing if it comes before the board.

Follow-up is important

There is a lot of power in following up after a discussion with a parent, especially if they were upset. The simple act of asking for their name and email so you can pass that on to the superintendent or appropriate person in the district will help the parent know you took their concern seriously. You don’t want to get into the middle of the problem, but a short email a few days later to let them know what actions you have taken can go a long way toward creating goodwill.

When Parents Complain To You About The Superintendent

One of the key duties of being a school board member is hiring and evaluating your district’s superintendent. In fact, this responsibility is spelled out in Texas law and in the Texas Education Code.

It can be challenging, however, when parents or community members complain about your district’s leader. You may wonder how to address and resolve those concerns in a way that is both respectful and in line with your statutory requirements.

First of all, listen to what the person is telling you and thank them for sharing their concerns. Depending on your board, what you do next may vary. Here are some possible ways to handle:

• If you regularly meet with the superintendent, tell them about the concern or complaint and ask them to tell you about the situation that led to the complaint.

• If you don’t regularly meet with your superintendent, consider telling your board president who probably already is having consistent communications with the superintendent.

If the concern is a one-time issue that can be addressed and resolved, then no further action may be needed. However, if you or any board members continue to hear complaints or become aware of a pattern of complaints, then it’s possible the board may want to take corrective actions with specific performance expectations as part of the superintendent evaluation process. Remember, these performance conversations must be kept confidential under state law, which prohibits making public any personnel document evaluating the performance of a teacher or administrator.

Key Takeways And Next Steps

Although this toolkit is designed to provide helpful strategies and tips for strengthening communications with parents and community members, it does not include all of the possible situations and nuances that may be faced by school board members as they fulfill their roles as trustees.

Regardless of the situation, trustees should remember a few key takeaways to help:

• As a school board member, you’re part of a team so leverage that support when dealing with a challenging situation.

• Parents should always be considered the MVPs on your team because all the research shows that when parents are involved and positively engaged, students win.

One of the best ways to build confidence around having parent conversations is to prepare and practice for these types of communications. Although role playing and scenarios will help, experts say it’s even more important to practice the skill of emotional regulation so heightened feelings or stress don’t derail communications in the moment.

Put more simply, that means truly listening to parents with an open mind and from the perspective that everyone needs to be on the same team when it comes to pursuing educational excellence for all students.