Dist. 200 makes changes to public comment period

The Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 school board doesn't have a problem airing the district's dirty laundry. The board just wants to give staff the chance to wash it first.

That was part of the explanation school board members gave in unanimously passing a change to public comment at school board meetings Wednesday night.

The changes would break public comment into two parts. Comments on agenda items would occur near the beginning of the meeting. Comments on nonagenda items would be limited to 30 minutes total and occur near the end of the meeting, usually at least 2 hours later.

The board also created new "conversational" meetings where the only agenda will be to take public comment, but in a less formal environment. The meetings would be similar to what the Wheaton city council offers residents at its weekend "Coffee with the Council" sessions.

School Board Member Barb Intihar helped craft the changes. She billed the modifications as giving the public more opportunities to share their opinions and at more ideal times. She reasoned that most people who attend school board meetings are there for the agenda items.

Intihar added that many concerns raised during public comment can be resolved by staff ahead of time, eliminating the need for public comment on the matters.

Several of the district's recent biggest issues were introduced as problems by residents during public comment. Those issues include students viewing R-rated movies at school, conduct by staff during a tornado last year, concerns with redistricting and several points of contention surrounding the relocation of Hubble Middle School to Warrenville.

The changes to public comment have been on the table for a couple months now.

During that time, the changes attracted a variety of opponents for various reasons. The opponents include the Wheaton League of Women Voters, Citizen Advocacy Center (a government watchdog group) and a few frequent critics of the school board.

"The only communication the board wants to prioritize is from those who already agree, or who can be persuaded with a wink and a nod," said Mark Stern, one of the frequent critics. "Restricting the public's right to speak at board meetings seeks to solve a problem that doesn't exist."

Board members said they approved the policy with an eye for tweaking it in the future should the changes prove problematic.