Rules of Conduct

In order to provide a professional and courteous forum for citizens to bring concerns and issues before the Jeff Davis County Board of Education, we ask that all speakers be aware of the following guidelines: 

• In accordance with Board policy, only those individuals who have submitted a written request to the Board Clerk at least 24 hours prior to the meeting will be allowed to speak. 
• We have a few simple rules for public comment as required by law. Each person wishing to address the Board must sign this roster prior to the meeting. 
• Only residents of the School District, representatives of businesses or organizations located in the District, parents or guardians of students attending the schools of the District or school system employees may address the Board during public participation. No individual or group will be retaliated against, in any manner whatsoever, for speaking during public participation. 
• The Board requests that multiple speakers from a group or organization appoint a single representative to address the Board. 
• When called upon to speak, each speaker will identify him or herself and will indicate the group, if any, which he or she represents. 
• Each speaker will be allowed 5 minutes. Time may not be yielded by one speaker to another. Discussion on a particular topic will be limited to 30 minutes. 
• Comments should be brief, clear, and to the point and must be addressed to the Board and not directed to the audience. 
• The topic addressed must be identical to the one submitted in the written request from the speaker.
• The public is urged to follow other resolution processes set forth in Board policy or available at individual schools, where those processes are clearly designed to address the issue to be raised. 
• Personnel matters will not be discussed during the Community/Public Participation portion of the agenda. Procedures outlined in JDCSS Policy BCBI will be followed. 
• Board members will not respond at this meeting to comments or questions from speakers. 
• The Board chair or designee has the authority to terminate a speaker’s presentation to the Board for disruptive and otherwise unacceptable behavior, including, but not limited to, abusive, profane, or vulgar language; threatening behavior or words; personal attacks on Board members, school district employees, or other citizens; intimidation; or taunting, and the speaker may be removed from the Board meeting for such conduct as permitted by SB588 - OCGA 20-2-58. 

Approved July 17, 2023