Solano Community College District Policies

Governing Board Policies
Series 1000

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DECORUM 1041

POLICY:
The Board recognizes both the value of free expression of views and its statutory obligations to make policy decisions essential to the management of the District. Toward these ends, the following rules of order, established under authorization of state statutes, shall govern the conduct of all Board meetings:

1. The President of the Board shall direct the orderly presentation of reports and discussion on all agenda items and on matters introduced during the meeting.

2. After an agenda item has been presented and staff reports made, the Board may invite public participation in discussion relating to the item prior to Board action. Persons addressing the Board shall preface their remarks by giving their name and organizational affiliation, if any, to the President of the Board.

3. During any portion of the meeting, the Board may prescribe a time limit on individual presentations and/or a time limit on the total time to be allocated to all presentations on a given item or issue, and the Board may allow all interested participants to address the Board before allowing any participation to be heard a second time.

The following will be ruled out of order by the presiding officer.

Remarks or discussion in public meetings on charges or complaints which the Board has scheduled to consider in Closed Session.

Profanity, obscenity and other offensive language.

Physical violence and/or threats of physical violence directed towards any person or property.

In the event that any meeting is willfully interrupted by the actions of one or more persons so as to render the orderly conduct of the meeting unfeasible, the person(s) may be removed from the meeting room.
Speakers who engage in such conduct may be removed from the podium and denied the opportunity to speak to the Board for the duration of the meeting.

Before removal, a warning and a request that the person(s) curtail the disruptive activity will be made by the President of the Board. If the behavior continues, the persons(s) may be removed by a vote of the Board, based on a finding that the person is violating this policy, and that such activity is intentional and has substantially impaired the conduct of the meeting.

If order cannot be restored by the removal in accordance with these rules of individuals who are willfully interrupting the meeting, the Board may order the meeting room cleared and may continue in session. The Board shall only consider matters appearing on the agenda. Representatives of the press or other news media, except those participating in the disturbance, shall be allowed to attend any session held pursuant to this rule.


REFERENCES/
AUTHORITY:
California Education Code Section 72121.5
California Government Code Section 54954.3(b)
Solano Community College District Governing Board

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BP1041

ADOPTED: March 18, 1987
REVISED: May 19, 1999; June 6, 2007

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