Guidelines
What I don't read is that a speaker to the Board may not use a proper name if they are complaining about an administrator. Perhaps these guidelines have changed over the years.
In the Hillsborough Association of School Administrator's minutes of May, 2006, it clearly states:
"Speakers at Board meetings are not allowed to use proper names if they have complaints against administrators."
Untouchable?
Along with the word "complaint", also in the minutes are the words "slander",
"grievance" and "derogatory". One must wonder if these words are seen as synonymous, or are they considered "disorderly behavior, personal attacks or disruptive conduct" as defined in the Board meeting guidelines.
How are these beliefs cultured? We have publicly seen how they were enforced under the previous Board chair. Apparently the ethnocentrism of the system is so entrenched in those that have been "properly" trained that any type of public display of discontent is intolerable. Against administrators.
Ignorant speakers to the Board may not be able to discern that it is okay to complain about teachers, but not administrators. Following this mindset, derogatory comments from the Board can be directed to teachers and parents, but not administrators.
There is evidence that efforts are being made to address this problem with increased dexterity. The group that represents the administrators have correctly identified a conscious effort of speakers to the board to "circumvent" the grievance procedure. The most recent concern broadens the scope of the issue to include the word "malign". There may be some increasing angst amongst these gatekeepers because the anticipated full scale stoppage of these acts has been put on hold while the Board's attorney, the Superintendent and the Board Chair pursue this issue. For the present, the Board's legal advice appears to be that a speaker to the Board can use their allotted three minutes "however the speaker wishes, according to Federal law".
Drat.
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