CCSD School Board Chair Calls for Decorum at Future Meetings

Pam McKinney, the Charleston County School District Board of Trustees Board Chair, released the following statement regarding decorum at meetings:

“Over the past several weeks, there has been an outpouring of public engagement with the Board of Trustees and the issues before our body. I am thankful for the support shown for the mission of the district, which is to educate and support every child in achieving college, career, and citizenship readiness.

When the Board of Trustees meets to discuss and debate the issues before us, it is important that I, as the presiding officer over our regular business meetings, create the conditions that allow for productive discussions where Trustees can express their views. Fellow Trustees must be able to hear those viewpoints and have the opportunity to engage in discussion.

Recent meetings have seen a significant amount of dialogue and loud voices from audience members that have made having those discussions difficult; I acknowledge that the dialogue and loud voices are a result of community frustration. Trustees have not been able to hear each other, and interested in-person attendees and those watching the meetings online have not been able to hear the Trustees over the noise of the crowd.  In an effort to further request decorum among those in attendance, the following notice will be posted at our next regular business meeting on October 23rd:

Any person in attendance at a meeting of the CCSD Board of Trustees shall conduct himself/herself in a manner appropriate to the decorum of the meeting and shall not use profane, abusive, or obscene language or otherwise engage in disorderly conduct. Any person who makes such remarks or otherwise engages in disorderly conduct which disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of a Board meeting shall, at the discretion of the presiding officer, be barred from further attendance during the meeting and may be removed from the building or premises.

The Board must be able to complete the business before it, so we have to balance the desire of the community to provide feedback with our need to fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to us.

I encourage members of the public to provide feedback to the Board by submitting written public comments ahead of our regular business meeting, providing in-person public comments during our regular business meeting, or emailing the Trustees at any time.  Email addresses can be found on the CCSD website.  Continued crowd-level disruptions at Board meetings that interfere with our ability to conduct business may result in the meeting being recessed until order has been restored.  Continued disruptions may require the Board to reconvene in a separate location and have its business meeting live streamed into the board room for public viewing.

We have a community that is passionate about public education in Charleston County, and I am thankful for your support of our students, teachers, and support staff.”