Maryland's Largest School District
The Board of Education schedules public hearings on issues it determines to be of widespread interest and concern. A quorum of the Board is not required to be present for a hearing to be conducted. In addition to special public hearings, the Board holds hearings on its strategic plan, annual operating budget, proposed Capital Improvement Program (CIP), and school boundaries. Hearings for the proposed capital budget and CIP and/or boundaries are governed by Board Policy FAA, Educational Facilities Planning.
General guidelines for public hearings are as follows:
A person wishing to speak, other than a cluster coordinator or area vice president, may reserve only one space. Only one speaker will be registered for any organization, unless the Board provides otherwise. Individuals and organizations may not cede time to others who have signed up. Elected officials are given the courtesy of being placed on the agenda at the time of their choice.Speakers are requested to submit their testimony electronically to the Board of Education Office at least 24 hours in advance of the hearing. If the testimony is not provided in advance, speakers are requested to provide 20 copies of their statement at the hearing, for distribution to the Board, staff, and press. Public hearings are recorded, televised, and transmitted via webcast.
Additional information about public hearings may be found in the Board of Education Handbook
The Board of Education designates time during each business meeting and regular work session for public comments. The process for signing up and providing public testimony is outlined below. If you have questions regarding this process, please submit them to BOETestimony@mcpsmd.org.
Unless otherwise notified, the sign-up period typically opens to the public one (1) week prior to the meeting at 6:00 p.m. and closes three (3) days prior to the meeting at 9:00 a.m.
The Board’s business meetings and regular work sessions will be open to the public, and in-person public comments will be permitted. The Board will also continue to accept pre-recorded audio and video submissions for individuals who wish to remain virtual. All testimonies will be made available to the public on BoardDocs. Individuals who want to provide public comments will register using the online registration form and will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis.
In addition to the online sign-ups, the Board will return to the practice of in person, same day sign-ups when space allows. Unallocated slots may be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, on the day of the meeting.
Safety Procedures for In-Person Public Comments and Observation: Please avoid in-person attendance if you are experiencing symptoms of illness. If you choose to bring a sign, please ensure it is no larger than 8.5” x 11”. Signs may not be mounted on sticks.
The first twenty (20) speakers who sign up for public comments during the designated sign-up process are afforded two (2) minutes to speak. Public testimony slots that remain available following the closing of the sign-up process may be filled on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the meeting by signing in with Board staff no later than fifteen (15) minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the open session.
In addition to the twenty (20) testimony slots available to the public, separate testimony slots will be reserved at each business meeting and regular work session for a designated representative of each MCPS employee association. Each association representative will be afforded two (2) minutes to speak.
The Board is interested in hearing a broad range of perspectives from the community. Accordingly, when the Board receives more requests than the allotted number of testimony slots, first priority will be given to individuals who have not testified at a Board business meeting or regular work session within the previous 30 calendar days.
Once the public comment sign-up period has closed, speakers will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours with instructions about how to submit their written testimony in advance to the Board Office. For speakers providing video or audio testimony, instructions will be provided on how to prepare video/audio comments for submission. Please adhere to the submission deadline and instructions included in the confirmation email. All written, video, and audio comments for the meeting should be submitted to BOETestimony@mcpsmd.org.
While public input on policies, programs, and practices is encouraged, public comments are not the proper avenue to address specific student or employee matters. Comments regarding specific student or employee matters shall be directed to the Board or superintendent, as appropriate, through separate communication.
Those who are unable to sign up or are not selected to provide comments during the meeting may email their comments to BOETestimony@mcpsmd.org. Emails sent to this address are automatically distributed to all Board members and leadership staff.
Additional information about public comments may be found in the Board of Education Handbook.
