Policy committee asks staff to study public-comment procedures to boost participation

The Horry County School Board Policy Committee asked staff April 20 to research how other school districts handle 'request to speak' procedures and public comment opportunities and to bring a comparative analysis to the next Policy Committee meeting for public review.

Chair Pam Dawson said the goal is to "promote greater involvement from the public" and to broaden the range of stakeholders — including parents, business partners, nonprofits and community members — who can participate in board discussions. She asked the superintendent and staff to "please go forward, look at what other districts are doing around the state, and come back to us at our next policy committee meeting and report to us a, basically a comparative analysis."

The committee said staff should return with materials to enable a rich public discussion; the chair emphasized the analysis and any proposed changes would be available for public review. Staff confirmed they will bring back a comparison at a future meeting.