B. BOARD PRACTICE:
    1. Public Comment Session:
        The Board provides a 30 minute public comment session prior to the beginning of
        Board work sessions and regular Board meetings to allow individuals, as identified in
        Section A of this Policy, an opportunity to address the Board.
    2. Procedures for Speaking During the Public Comment Session:
        a. Before addressing the Board, individuals are urged to seek a solution to their
           concerns through the proper staff and administrative channels.
        b. Individuals desiring to appear before the Board must first complete a sign-in sheet
            which should be available 30 minutes prior to the public presentation session.
            Speaker information must contain:
            (1) Name;
            (2) Full physical address and no Post Office boxes. Cobb County property owners
                 not residing in Cobb County must provide both their Cobb County property
                 address as well as their mailing address;
            (3) Telephone number;
            (4) Discussion topic and which, if any, Board agenda item is related to their topic;
            (5) Whether they are a resident of Cobb County outside the City of Marietta; a
                 District student or parent/guardian of a District student; a non-resident owner
                 of property within the geographic boundaries of the District; and/or an
                 employee of the District;
            (6) Whether or not they have materials to submit to the Board.
        c. Speakers must present any materials brought for the Board, i.e., letters, photos,
            petitions, written comments or other documentation, etc., to the District
            representative at the sign-in table when signing-in. Speakers are asked to provide
            10 copies of these materials. The District representative shall provide a copy of
            these materials to each of the following:
            (1) Each Board Member;
            (2) Superintendent;
            (3) Board attorney; and
            (4) The District’s records representative.
            If 10 copies are not available, the District representative shall deliver the material
            to the Board Chair for distribution.
        d. Speakers will have an allotted amount of time, up to five minutes to speak before
            the Board, with the time for speaker being determined by the Chair, depending on
            the number of speakers with a maximum of 15 speakers.
        e. At the Board’s discretion, the Board may make additional time, up to 30 minutes
            available for public comment immediately following the Board Meeting.
        f. Speakers will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis. However, the Chair
           may give priority to those discussing Board agenda items being considered during
           the Board meeting.
        g. Individuals will not be denied the opportunity to address the Board on the basis of
            their viewpoint. The Board requests that speakers maintain appropriate decorum
            and that comments remain focused and respectful. Speakers may comment on
            issues scheduled for consideration at the Board meeting or other concerns pertinent
            to the operation of a school or the District. In addition to the guidelines in this
            Policy, public commentary will not be permitted if:
           (1) The topic is excluded by the Open Meetings Act (O.C.G.A. §§ 50-14-1 et seq.);
                (This includes, but may not be limited to, certain land, legal or personnel
                items);
           (2) The speaker makes obscene, profane, vulgar, defamatory, slanderous, or
                 threatening gestures/remarks during his/her public commentary;
           (3) The speaker discusses a student by name, or shares other information that
                could lead to the personal identification of a student (See, for example, Family
                and Educational Rights Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g);
           (4) The speaker makes untrue, slanderous or defamatory comments or other
                unsubstantiated claims about an identified or identifiable employee (While
                general comments are appropriate for the public comment session, concerns
                about specific individuals should be addressed privately with the appropriate
                District administrator.); or
           (5) The speaker disrupts or attempts to the disrupt the Board meeting (See, for
                 example, O.C.G.A. § 16-11-34).
        h. Speakers may not gain an additional opportunity to speak by reserving or dividing
            their allotted time for another speaking occasion, and may not pass their allotted
            time to other speakers.
        i. Speakers must:
          (1) State their name to the Board prior to beginning public commentary;
          (2) End their remarks when their allotted time expires;
          (3) Direct public commentary to the Board as a body and not to an individual Board
               Member.
        j. Speakers should be aware that their public commentary may be filmed,
           photographed or recorded by the District or other non-District media sources. The
           District may rebroadcast public commentary on Cobb-24 Educational Access
           Channel or on the District or school Web sites. Any portion of the public
           commentary that is not in compliance with this Policy (such as prohibited in Section
           B.2.g. above) and/or applicable broadcast authority may be edited prior to
           broadcast.
        k. Any person who willfully violates these guidelines may forfeit the remainder of their
           speaking time and the Board may, in consultation with the Board Attorney, issue a
           written notice prohibiting the speaker from appearing before the Board for up to
           sixty (60) days.
        l. Board Members and or the Superintendent may ask questions for clarification.
        m. If requested during his/her remarks, a speaker will receive a written response
            from the appropriate Administrator within thirty (30) calendar days.

Approved: 10/11/78
Re-Adopted: 4/11/07
Confirmed: 5/9/07
Revised: 1/26/84; 8/8/84; 1/24/85; 4/28/88; 7/12/89; 7/8/92; 2/25/93; 9/13/95; 05/23/96; 8/22/96; 11/12/03