Open school board meetings bill heads to Indiana governor

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A bill that seeks to require public comment at school meetings advanced to the Indiana governor's desk after lawmakers gave their final approval Wednesday.

The bill mandates that school boards offer an oral public comment period at all public meetings, including those conducted virtually. The legislation was proposed after confrontational or disruptive school board meetings over the last year saw some boards suspend or restrict public comment sessions.

If signed into law by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, the measure would go into effect on July 1.

An original version of the bill would have applied to the governing body of any state or local public agency, like city and county councils. It also guaranteed a minimum of three minutes to each individual who wants to speak.

That language was rolled back, however, limiting the bill to just school board meetings.

Lawmakers additionally removed the time requirement provision in response to pushback from dozens of Indiana school board officials, who testified that such a rule would increase the workload for district officials and result in 'œunreasonably'ť lengthy school board meetings.

The final version of the bill states that school board can adopt 'œreasonable rules'ť to accommodate public comment periods and maintain order in meetings. That includes setting time limits for those who speak, and removing a disruptive person from the meeting.