By ARCHIE MOUNTAIN
NEWPORT — A petition is now circulating in Newport seeking permission to call a special Newport School District Meeting that could determine the fate of the three-minute time limit for public speakers at School Board meetings.
Bert Spaulding Sr. of Newport, a frequent visitor at those meetings, explained why the relatively new three-minute time limit for members of the public to speak before the school board is not working.
The three-minute rule was established by the five-member school board.
Spaulding has contended that the First Amendment gives him the right to speak for longer periods at School Board meetings, despite the three-minute rule.
“This ruling was ludicrous and does not do anyone any good,” he told members of the Newport Board of Selectmen at their Monday meeting. “We have a School Board that is not about to talk about its dirty laundry,” he claimed.
If authorized, Spaulding said the special meeting would be the same as the annual school district meeting. It would start with a deliberative session followed by an all-day voting session at a later date.
“It’s time we as a community take a stand,” he told the Selectmen. “It’s important to maintain a back and forth.
“Sign the petition and see what happens,” he concluded.
“If it passes by a simple majority, the school board will no longer be able to regulate time by people who come to speak and not be able to do away with public forum,” Spaulding revealed.
The wording on the petition follows:
Shall the legislative body vote to require the school board to provide for public forum, unlimited in time, on relevant subject matter, at any and all school board meetings. For purposes of this article, relevant subject matter shall mean any subject matter within the purview of the school board and/or the school district.
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