Board of Education → Public Participation

Public Participation

General Information

Public Comments At Board Meetings

Who Can Make a Public Comment?

Each regular business meeting of the Board includes a public comments period in which any citizen, group representative, parent, or student may make a statement regarding an item on a past, present or future Board open-session agenda, or a matter of general policy over which the Board has jurisdiction.

How Do I Sign Up to Make a Public Comment?

At every business meeting, 30 minutes are set aside for Public Comments from residents to encourage public participation. The first fifteen (15) speakers who contact the Board office by telephone on the Monday prior to the business meetings are granted two (2) minutes each to speak as follows:

  • The Board will reserve ten (10) of the fifteen (15) slots for public comments for speakers who wish to comment on issues that are on the agenda for that day’s Board meeting. The other five (5) slots will be reserved for speakers who wish to comment on other issues that are not specifically on the agenda.
  • The Board office accepts phone calls on the Monday before the Board meeting. The time period from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. will be for speakers who wish to address issues relating to the day’s agenda, and 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. will be for speakers who wish to address other issues.
  • If the Board office is closed on a Monday, callers may register to speak by calling as of 8:30 a.m. that Tuesday.
  • Unallocated slots may be filled—first come, first served—on the day of the meeting by signing the appropriate sheet at the Board meeting no later than 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time for Public Comments.

What is an Appropriate Subject for Public Comments?

This is not the proper avenue to address specific student or employee matters, especially those matters on appeal to the Board. Comments about the actions or statements of individual staff members are not appropriate for Public Comments and should be referred to the Superintendent of Schools or processed through available channels.

Written Testimony

Speakers are requested to provide 20 copies of their written testimony for distribution to Board members, staff, and the press.

In advance of the meeting, please email the testimony to boe@mcpsmd.org, fax it to 301-279-3860 or deliver to the Board of Education Office (850 Hungerford Drive, Suite 123, Rockville, MD 20850) and indicate the meeting during which you will be testifying.

Written Comments

Individuals and groups may send written comments to the Board. Correspondence sent to the Board president will be copied to all Board members.

Montgomery County Board of Education
850 Hungerford Drive
Rockville, Maryland 20850

E-mail Correspondence

E-mail communications to Board of Education members should be addressed to boe@mcpsmd.org. All Board members will receive the message.

Updated September 8, 2009 | Maintained by Web Services | Content Manager Glenda Rose