The School Board of Broward County (SBBC) values the Voice of the Stakeholder. SBBC appreciates the input of the public and takes all feedback into consideration. To share your feedback, please reference the user guides and access links below to register to provide in-person comments on agenda items, submit a public written agenda comment, or participate in speaking on general subject matters of any concern. 

(School Board Policy 1100A)

• There shall be two (2) opportunities for the public to address the School Board during Regular School Board meetings: public speakers and agenda item comments. The time limit for these presentations shall be three (3) minutes for each speaker.

• Public speakers – there shall be reserved on each Regular School Board meeting agenda a time for public speakers. This section of the agenda shall provide an opportunity for any member of the public to reserve time to address he School Board regarding matters of relevance to public education.

• Persons desiring to speak on general topics shall contact Official School Board Records (OSBR) at least five (5) days prior to the Board meeting. This will enable the school district to place the public speaker and the topic on the Board agenda. Those persons who have not contacted OSBR at least five (5) days in advance but who wish to address the Board on topics pertaining to the school district may be heard at the end of the School Board meeting at the discretion of the School Board Chair. No action shall be taken on a speaker’s topic unless otherwise indicated on the agenda.

• Agenda items – Public comment shall be entertained by the School Board with regards to items on any Regular, Special Meeting, or Workshop agenda. Any person may present live comments by attending the meeting/workshop at the Kathleen C. Wright Administrative Building,  Board room,  located at 600 Southeast Third Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. Only registered speakers will be called before the Board to speak. The Board Chair will recognize your name at the appropriate time during the meeting/workshop. The Chair shall request that each member of the public addressing the Board to first state their name, city, and zip code for the record.

• A speaker may request that they be permitted to yield their time to another registered speaker. Speakers must be present at the meeting at the time of the request to yield their time. The yielded time will be pooled for a maximum of six (6) minutes for the designated registered speaker. Speakers may not split their time and only yield a portion of it to a designated speaker.

• All public written agenda comments must be submitted no later than two (2) hours prior to the start of the meeting. All published public written agenda comments will be included in the official Board meeting minutes, archived, and subject to public records.

• District committee reports will be placed on the agenda at an appropriate time, prior to the public speakers. In the event the speaker is not available to give a morning report, they shall register with the chair to give the report after lunch. Committee Chairs may give reports via media technology under extraordinary circumstances. The committee representative giving the report shall limit their remarks to the official position of the committee as set forth in the report and shall be limited to five (5) minutes in duration unless extended at the Chair’s discretion. The representative shall refrain from making any personal observations / comments during this time. Any such personal remarks would have to be made by the speaker during an opportunity for public comment.

• Speakers’ remarks should be directed to the presiding officer or the Board as a whole and not to individual Board members, otherwise the speaker may be ruled out of order, and asked to yield the podium. Board members will not engage in dialogue with speakers.

• Speakers may not refuse to yield the podium when the Chair has advised that their time has expired.
  
  The Chair may notify and warn speakers that their comments have gone beyond the subject matter for which they had signed up to address, address matters that are not related to the business of The School Board, or otherwise violate this policy. Speakers are advised to refrain from obscene or vulgar conduct, or slanderous remarks, or statements that tend to incite violence or the breach of the peace.
• The Chair may turn off the microphone or recess the meeting if any person persists in interfering with the expeditious or orderly process of the meeting or fails to conform their remarks to the requirements of this policy, after being duly warned to do so. Alternatively, after a warning, the Chair will have the speaker or audience member removed from the meeting and barred from further appearance before the Board for the balance of the meeting.
  
  DECORUM
• Speakers are advised to refrain from obscene or vulgar conduct, slanderous remarks, or statements that tend to incite violence or breach the peace.  In addition, speakers are to demonstrate proper decorum and model the district’s eight character traits: cooperation, responsibility, citizenship, kindness, respect, honesty, self-control, and tolerance.  

•  No heckling, shouting comments from the audience, verbal outbursts or any other disruptive behavior shall be permitted. No signs or placards shall be allowed in the Board meeting. Persons exiting the Board meeting shall do so quietly.

• Personal cellular telephone conversations while in the room where the Board meeting is being conducted are not permitted. Such conversations are permitted only during meeting breaks or recess. Ringers or any portable electronic device must be set to silent mode to avoid disruption of the proceedings. All individuals must exit the meeting room to answer incoming cell phone calls.