Public Comment Policy
The governance board believes that it is important to provide an opportunity for the public to have open communication with the board. The board meeting agenda may provide time for members of the public, subject to the limitations herein, to make comments during business meetings.
Any person who is a resident of Oklahoma, an employee or an official representative of a recognized organization or group of HICD, a parent or guardian of an HICD student, or student of HICD may address the board.
Persons wanting to speak at a governance board meeting shall be required to submit a completed Public Comments Signup Form to the district office located at 1301 N.E. 101st Street prior to 4:30 p.m. on the day of that board meeting. Forms are available in each school’s office and may be submitted in person to the district office; online forms are available on the district’s website and may be submitted electronically. Any requests that are submitted after the deadline will be denied.
Requests shall be reviewed by the board president and/or their designee. If the request complies with the criteria in this section the speaker shall be permitted to speak. Each Speaker shall have up to three (3) minutes, regardless of the number of topics. In order to be permitted to speak the request must be related to a specific item on the agenda. Where a recognized group or organization wishes to speak, only one (1) person shall be selected to speak on behalf of the group or organization. No person shall be permitted to speak more than once during any meeting, and speakers cannot assign or yield their time, or any portion of their time, to another speaker.
Comments regarding the following subjects will not be permitted during Public Comments:
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comments not related to a specific agenda item;
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an issue in a pending lawsuit, complaint or investigation regardless of whether such has been filed in a court or with an outside agency, wherein the district or one of its schools, employee(s), or board members is a party;
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a complaint or grievance against district employee or employees;
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an employee disciplinary action, suspension, or termination;
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a student suspension or appeal which may ultimately reach the board;
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any matter involving a student which is protected by state or federal privacy laws;
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a solicitation for business and/or an announcement of an event, whether personal or business, and regardless of whether the speaker is seeking to have the district purchase a product or service;
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disparaging comments about any individual, other than the Governance Board or a member thereof; and
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comments by an individual who has publicly announced or filed as a candidate for public office, which pertain to his/her candidacy.
The public comments portion of the meeting is not for the purpose of discussion, debate, or questions and answers between the speaker and the board, administration, or any member thereof. Board members are not permitted to respond to speakers’ comments. Complaints and/or grievance involving a district employee(s) must follow the complaint and/or grievance policies and procedures of the district.
Any questions a speaker wishes to have answered must be presented to the board in written form and will be responded to, in writing, by the superintendent or board president as soon after the meeting as is practical. All written questions and public comments submissions will be shared with the governance board.
Decorum will be observed at every meeting, including during the public comment portion. The board president may interrupt and terminate any presentation that violates any of the above-mentioned criteria.
Public Comments at Virtual Board Meetings
The following will be HICD’s policy regarding public comments, which may be provided at the discretion of the board when board meetings are being conducted virtually. Speakers are responsible for ensuring that they have the resources and capabilities necessary to participate in any public comments part of an agenda and that the board receives their request submission by the deadline of 4:30 p.m. as previously noted in this section. The same rules, limitations, and criteria apply to public comments made during a virtual board meeting as apply during an in-person board meeting and are incorporated herein.
