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Public Comment Regulations

COCISD Board of Trustees Public Comment Regulations & Guidelines

The COCISD Board of Trustees holds regular meetings at 6:30 p.m. every fourth Monday of the month at the Coldspring-Oakhurst High School Main Foyer, 14100 TX-150, Coldspring, TX 77331, unless otherwise posted. All Board agendas and special-called meetings are posted in advance on the district website at cocisd.org > School Board > Board Agendas.

Coldspring-Oakhurst Consolidated Independent School District

Public Comment/Regulation

 

Public participation at Board meetings is encouraged. In accordance with BED(LOCAL), persons wishing to address the Board about a topic related to District business during the period reserved for public comment at a Board meeting must complete the COCISD Public Comment Sign-up Form in advance, to be heard. [See BED(LOCAL)].

The following guidelines apply to public comment:

  1. At regular monthly Board meetings, the Board shall permit public comment as defined in policy BED(LOCAL), regardless of whether the topic is an item on the agenda posted with the notice of the meeting. At all other Board Meetings, public participation and comments shall be limited to items on the agenda posted with notice of the meeting.
  2. Individuals must email their comment or complete the COCISD Public Comment Sign-up Form at least two (2) hours in advance of the Board meeting. When an individual emails, the individual must indicate whether the comment pertains to an item on the Board agenda and, if so, which item or items.
  3. The period reserved for public comment at a Board meeting will generally occur at the beginning of the meeting. However, in the interest of time and the orderly conduct of business, the presiding officer may make adjustments in accordance with the Board’s adopted procedures on public comment.
  4. Each individual will be limited to five (5) minutes to make comments to the Board. When necessary, for effective meetings and time management, or to accommodate large numbers of individuals wishing to address the Board, the presiding officer may make adjustments to the public comment procedures, including, but not limited to, adjusting when public comment will occur during the meeting; reordering agenda items; deferring public comment on non-agenda items; continuing agenda items to a later meeting; providing expanded opportunity for public comment; or establishing an overall time limit for public comment and adjusting the time allotted to each speaker. No individual shall be given less than one minute to make comments.
  5. Under the Texas Open Meetings Act, the Board is not permitted to discuss or act upon any issues that are not posted on the agenda for today’s meeting.
  6. The Board has adopted complaint policies that are designed to secure, at the lowest possible administrative level, a prompt and equitable resolution of complaints and concerns. Each of these processes provides that, if a resolution cannot be achieved administratively, the person may appeal the administrative decision to the Board as properly posted agenda item. For further information on those policies, please contact COCISD Administration. If the subject of your comment involves a pending grievance, please continue to seek resolution through the grievance process and address the Board only at the appropriate stage of that process.
  7. Under the Texas Open Meetings Act, the Board may exercise its authority to discuss certain subject matters in closed session, including matters involving individual District staff members and individual students. If your comment concerns one of these subjects, please address your concern through the complaint policies.
  8. Rules of order and decorum will be enforced during the public comment period to ensure efficient meetings. Each participant is legally responsible for the content and consequences of his or her own statements.
  9. The Board shall not tolerate disruption of the meeting by members of the audience. If, after at least one warning from the presiding officer, any individual continues to disrupt the meeting by his or her words or actions, the presiding officer may request assistance from law enforcement officials to have the individual removed from the meeting.