FROM THE

Editor’s Desk

I’m a bit riled up.

The Ellsworth School Board meeting on Monday, Feb. 13 was packed. Extra seats had to be set out to accommodate the crowd, and some were still left standing at the door to the Ellsworth Elementary School community room. I’ll admit, I was curious. It’s rare that anyone attends school board meetings, unless they are on the agenda for a recognition or presentation. What could all these people be here to say?

Ellsworth School Board allows anyone who wants to to speak during public comment. They request a three-minute time limit and that people sign in on a sheet of paper at the front of the room. This is to place speakers’ names in the minutes as a matter of public record. It could also help the board or superintendent reach out to that person later to further discuss their comment or answer a question.

Superintendent Barry Cain told the group assembled to sign in on the sheet if anyone wanted to speak. Twice. When public comment time came, the board noted that no one had signed up to speak. I was surprised. I saw nothing controversial on the agenda. So they must have had another reason to attend, but why was no one speaking up?

The meeting ended with a closed session about a personnel item, at which time the public was asked to leave (which is how closed sessions work). People left the room grumbling, but again, no one spoke. I thought maybe I’d catch one of them outside and ask why so many people were there, but they scattered to their vehicles faster than I could blink.

Imagine my surprise later when I looked on the Ellsworth WI Community Happenings Facebook page, which was filled with comments on how parents were “not allowed” to speak at the school board meeting. I’m sorry, but I’ll be blunt. That’s a crock of crap. It infuriates me when people spread lies and wrong information on social media, which gets people all into a tizzy. The board never denied anyone the chance to speak. It’s clear that people didn’t know how a school board meeting works. I understand not everyone does. But if you don’t, ask!

My question is, why didn’t anyone ask? There were at least 20 people there who looked like they had something to say. Not one single person asked for clarification on how to be heard. Instead, they took to social media and spread misinformation.

I found out through the posts on Facebook that parents have questions about K9 locker searches, vaping in the bathrooms, etc. These are all valid questions. People should reach out to school administration or school board members instead of stirring up a frenzy on Facebook with inaccurate information.

For those who are wondering, here is what the Wisconsin Department of Justice has to say about speaking at public school board, city council, county board or town board meetings: “The Wisconsin Open Meetings Law acknowledges the public is entitled to the fullest and most complete information regarding government affairs as long as it does not hinder the conduct of governmental business. All meetings of governmental bodies, such as a city council, shall be held publicly and be open to all citizens at all times unless otherwise expressly provided by law. The open meetings law does not require a governmental body to allow members of the public to speak or actively participate in an open session meeting. The law only grants citizens the right to attend and observe open meetings.

“However, the law permits a governmental body to set aside a portion of an open meeting as a public comment period. While public comment periods are not required, if a governmental body decides to have such a comment period, it must be included in the meeting notice.

“There are other state statutes—other than the open meetings law—that require governmental bodies to hold public hearings regarding certain matters. Unless such a statute specifically applies, a governmental body has wide discretion over any public comment period it chooses to permit. Besides the discretion over whether to allow public comments at all, a body also has discretion to decide to what extent it will allow public participation. For example, a governmental body can limit how much time each citizen may speak.

“If a governmental body permits a public comment period, it may receive information from the public, and it may discuss any subject raised by a member of the public. A body may not take any formal action on such a subject unless it was identified in the body’s meeting notice. If a citizen raises a subject that is not included on the meeting notice, it may be advisable for the body to limit substantive discussion on the subject until a subsequent meeting in which the body can include the subject on the meeting notice.”

NIGBOR