(Vernon Matters file photo)

By Pete McIntyre

SD22

School district looks to clamp down on disruptions at board meetings

Jan 30, 2024 | 6:01 AM

Vernon School District trustees have given preliminary support for changes to the board’s procedures in order to minimize incidents like what happened at their meeting last month.

Some people, who were believed to be opponents of the sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) policy in schools at the board’s December meeting, were disrespectful according to district officials, and created safety concerns for staff, students and others.

“They loudly verbally abused staff and other people present, shouting words like coward, traitor, and other more offensive words that I don’t want to repeat,” board chair Mark Olsen told Vernon Matters. “It is not acceptable for anybody to be the subject of such verbal abuse.”

In response, the district limited public access to online-only for its Jan. 24 board meeting, which could be extended further.

SD22 secretary treasurer Adrian Johnson compiled several other possible procedure changes in a bylaw which the board gave two readings of support for on Jan. 24. The bylaw could get third reading at the Feb. 21 meeting and then would only need final approval.

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“Members of the public have recently disrupted board meetings. This staff report recommends revisions to the board’s existing procedural bylaw to avoid or navigate such disruptions,” Johnson said in a report to the board.

“The recommended revisions aim to enable the board to continue to hear from the public on meeting agenda topics while minimizing opportunity for disruption.”

Click here to see the proposed bylaw.

Dealing with meeting disruptions

The proposed change to this section of the procedural bylaw clarifies that disruptive members of the public may be removed from the board room at the Chair’s discretion. It also notes that the Chair may call a recess should a disruption occur.

These two points are already allowed through the School Act and Robert’s Rules of Order.

Use of recording devices

If the bylaw passes, no recording devices shall be permitted at any meeting of the Board of Education, unless authorized by the Chair prior to the start of the meeting.

Public questions and comments

Option 1 contains minimal revisions to section 8.

The key changes are:

• To explicitly state that only questions or comments on matters in the business section of the agenda are appropriate.

• To indicate that speakers are expected to have read the applicable supporting materials before speaking.

• To emphasize that questions or comments that are derogatory towards any person or group, including on the basis of race, colour, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, are not acceptable.

• To allow the Chair to alter the communication process outlined in the bylaw to accommodate digital attendees in a similar manner, if all members of the public are attending digitally with no option to attend in-person.

Option 2 requires questions or comments to be provided in writing.

Key changes are:

• To explicitly state that only questions or comments on matters in the business section of the agenda are appropriate.

• To require that questions or comments be submitted on a digital form at least four hours before the scheduled start of the meeting. The link to the form will be distributed with the published agenda.

• To limit the length of questions or comments to 150 words, being the number of words a person can typically read out loud in one minute. The Board has alternative means for the public to provide longer communications separately from the Board meeting.

• To indicate that the Board expects members of the public to have read the supporting materials of the applicable agenda item prior to submitting a question or comment.

• To emphasize that questions or comments that are derogatory towards any person or group, including on the basis of race, colour, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, are not acceptable.

• To provide the Chair with the discretion to exclude any questions or comments that are not relevant to the business section or are otherwise inappropriate.

• To exclude questions or comments from members of the public who are not present at the meeting.

• To provide the Chair with the discretion to ask the member of the public who provided the question or comment to read or clarify the question or comment.

• To allow the Chair to alter the communication process outlined in the bylaw to accommodate digital attendees in a similar manner, if all members of the public are attending digitally with no option to attend in-person.

SD22 is now seeking further input on the proposed changes which will be discussed at the February board meeting.

People can provide input here: Bylaws, policies and regulations – School District No. 22.