So now, the Willow Run Board of Education wants to decide what qualifies as 'business' in front of them and are arbitrarily (as we can find no legal opinion that supports their stand) dictating what can be said in an public meeting. The WR Board is now proclaiming that NO personnel issues of any kind can be addressed towards the board and MUST be addressed in private.
What the hell? You can't tell people in public meetings what they can and cannot say. You're holding the meeting, people, and yes school district employees are people, have a RIGHT to use their 1st Amendment rights. Board President Claudette Braxton, nothing if not looking to make up rules about public meetings as she goes claimed "There's a protocol for addressing personnel issues, and those issues should be discussed in private." More like they CAN be discussed in private but to us, public meetings are public meetings.
This sounds to us like the Willow Run Board of Education wants to control the message and not allow hurtful or improper behavior aired in public where they could find themselves uncomfortable and or embarrassed. Board member Sheri Washington seemed to grasp this, why can't the rest?
That's what open meetings are for, we think. Redress of grievances...
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3 comments:
From the board's perspective, I think they are trying to keep internal affairs from slipping into the public light. I do disagree with their intention, because you cannot censor reasonable discussion, especially when protected by the 1st amendment. I think the board is treading on thin ice.
The township skirts around the same issues and determines certain meetings as a "quorum" instead. They then can restrict meeting minutes from public, etc. I am no expert in parlimentary procedure, but if a certain percentage of officials are at a meeting together, it cannot be deemed a quorum.
Quorum:
the number of members of a group or organization required to be present to transact business legally, usually a majority.
Somehow I believe that a meeting can be defined as a quorum, yet not have to be public.
Perhaps Willow Run will pull the same trick.
Either way it stinks. My view: Public Money - Public Meetings - Public Discussion
Apparently its time for Ypsi to invade Willow Run and make it safe for democracy again.
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