Waverly School Board members apologize to the community for its decision to limit the public comment period at its meeting on Monday, January 23. Parents, teachers, and community members had showed up at the meeting to demand answers as to why Waverly School Teachers were working without a contract.
During that meeting, board members tried to limit public comment and School board members listened to the speeches but as the night progressed and more people walked up to the stage, the board informed the audience it would not allow anyone else to speak and it would go into a closed session. People who came prepared with speeches continued to try and address the board, and that is when board members abruptly got up and walked off the stage to the boos of the crowd. Eaton County Sheriff deputies were called up to the school.
The School Board issued a statement Wednesday night saying, "The intent of this decision was not to stifle public comment or deny persons the opportunity to speak but to keep the comment period at a reasonable length to allow the Board to conduct its business. The Board has since learned through its legal counsel that its current policy on Public Comment is not legal, that although the Board may limit the time each individual is allowed to speak, it may not limit the total time provided for public comment if by doing so some persons are completely prevented from commenting.
The Board say it will make changes for future meetings. A special meeting is scheduled for Monday February 6, at 6:30 p.m. to allow anyone who was prevented from speaking at the meeting on January 23, the opportunity to do so. The meeting will be held at Waverly Middle School.
