Guidelines for Public Comment at State Board of Education Meetings

Colorado State Board of Education Policy Regarding Public Comments at Board Meetings

Overview

To increase opportunities for community involvement, the Colorado State Board of Education has made important changes to the public comment process by adding online sign-up and remote public comment

Please note that members of the public also can also submit their comments in writing to the board at state.board@cde.state.co.us for distribution to all members and posting publicly. 

Structure for Public Comment

• Public comment will be held shortly after the meeting is called to order on the first day of each regular two-day meeting (usually a Wednesday) and at the end of the first day of the meeting unless designated otherwise when the agenda is made public.
• Speakers can choose from one of two options to provide public comment:
  • In-person at the State Board of Education meeting
  • Virtually using the Teams platform (no user download or registration is required)
• There are two public comment periods during each meeting: morning and afternoon. 
• Morning public comment period is limited to 45 minutes (15 speakers).
• Each speaker is allowed up to three minutes and a timer will be visible in the room during their comments.
  • When the time expires, the speaker may finish their sentence but should make no additional remarks. 
• Substitutes are not permitted; only the individual who registered may speak.
• Speakers will be called to speak in the order that their sign-up was received. 
• Meetings are held at 201 E. Colfax, Denver, unless specified otherwise. 

If there is time left allotted and someone has come in person who is unaware of the public comment process outlined in this policy, the Chair has the discretion to accommodate members of the public. Aligned with previous protocol, the sign-up sheet will be available 30 minutes before the meeting outside of the meeting room. The Chair may also extend the agenda item, however, public comment will be balanced with the need for the board to conduct its regular business.

Meeting Procedures:

The state board chair will explain the meeting procedures and call on speakers in the order of their registration. Public comment is limited to three minutes per speaker. A timer will be used to monitor time, and when the time expires, the speaker may finish their sentence but should make no additional remarks. The board chair may extend the agenda item, however, public comment will be balanced with the need for the board to conduct its regular business. At the Chair's discretion, public comment may be closed and reopened at a later time or date, which will be announced at the meeting.

Additional Guidelines:

• Public comment may not address personnel matters or quasi-judicial issues, such as Accountability Hearings or charter school appeals. This will be announced at the beginning of the public comment session.
• The board chair reserves the right to limit the time allocated for public comment based on the agenda and need for the board to conduct regular business.
• Any written public comment (including videos, voice recordings, and written comments) submitted via email will be uploaded to BoardDocs as part of the public record. Please ensure any private information you do not want to share with the board (private names like those of students, addresses, phone numbers, etc.) is removed before submitting documents. The State Board Office will assume that all information included in written public is intended for submission to the board and will not redact any information.
• All meetings are recorded, and the recordings are available on the state board website as part of the permanent public record.
• Signs, banners, and distracting items are not permitted in the state board room. If you bring such materials, you will be asked to leave them outside or may be asked to leave the room entirely.
• All participants, including speakers and attendees, should conduct themselves in a non-disruptive manner. Cheering, snapping, clapping, or other distractions are not permitted during or after any public comment session.
• The board members will not respond to public comments during this segment of the meeting.
• Public comment will not be taken at special meetings held outside the regular board schedule. 
• If an individual has internet or other technological challenge, the chair may skip to the next commenter and then try the individual again before the end of the public comment period. 

Suggested Do's and Don'ts for Giving Public Comment