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Area residents will still be able to address the Liberty Board of Education as a whole, only now it will be just on agenda items.

Board members on Oct. 19 voted to modify its public comment policy for regular monthly business meetings after dealing with the issue since mid-summer.

Board member Mattie Ransom spoke out strongly against an initial move to eliminate the public comment portion of the meeting entirely, citing a desire on the part of some other board members to protect themselves from criticism.

“This is about the public’s ability to address officials of their government,” she said. “To eliminate this would be wrong.”

Board member Charlene Armitage said cutting off comments would be a step in the wrong direction, citing all the progress that has been made within the school district the past year.

“This would have negative implications,” she said.

Moving for elimination of the public comment portion of the meeting was board member Evan Tripp, who cited potential legal concerns and the recommendation of the Missouri School Board Association.

“We should not be told what to do by an association,” Ransom said. “What they have said is simply a recommendation.”

Board member Cindy Dunlap was asking for the elimination of public comment as far back as last spring.

She resigned from the board later that night, citing health concerns brought on by the strain of dealing with the issue.

Bob Young, another board member, said that while there may have been some straying from the original intent of allowing public comment, he was not in favor of eliminating the forum.

Board president Bren Abbott was also against the action.

“I can’t see us closing it down,” he said.

And the board didn’t.

After defeating the proposal to eliminate public comment, it approved a revised policy to allow public comment on agenda items.

THE NEW RULES

- The public comment portion of the meeting will last no longer than 18 minutes.

- Only specific items on the posted agenda may be discussed.

- People addressing the board will be asked not to repeat what has already been said.

- Each speaker will be limited to three minutes.

- The board may request written comments in lieu of a verbal presentation where appropriate.

Senior writer Mark Johnson can be reached at 781-4941 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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