I attended the Nov. 24 School Committee virtual meeting and was stopped in mid-sentence by the acting chair, Susan Eckstrom, because I was not speaking about something noted on the agenda.
The School Committee’s rules require that only those issues on the agenda be open for public comment. This, of course, means that the School Committee can totally control the discussion at this “public comment” by simply not putting a topic on the agenda.
What makes this question more confusing is that as part of the School Committee member reports, the very issue that I was discussing — the development of the Racial Justice Advisory Committee — was reported upon. So, was it on the agenda or not on the agenda?
We were also told by School Committee member Eckstrom that if several people wish to speak to a single topic that is on the agenda, the public is required to ask only one person to represent the views on this topic. This is not in the rules of the committee. This effort to muzzle the public assumes that all people who wish to speak to a topic think the same thing. It also means that a topic that causes great consternation to the public and, therefore, may require the comments of many people can be shut down because one person has made a statement.
I understand that the School Committee has a difficult job and I also understand that meetings can run long. This policy, however, is a blatant effort to limit public involvement in the schools and cut off the discussion of issues relevant to the conduct of education in the City of Greenfield.
Why is the School Committee so afraid of what the public thinks? I thought education was about dialog and discussion of ideas.
Susan Worgaftik is a resident of Greenfield.