Public comments made at Columbia School Board meetings may no longer be recorded and available online, according to a proposed policy change.
Last month, Paul Harper, board vice president and Policy Committee chair, briefly raised potential changes to Policy BDA, which describes certain School Board meeting procedures. He tabled discussion until the full board’s March 19 work session.
The proposed addition to the policy states, in relevant part, “the public comment portion of the (board) meeting will not be recorded.” If recommended by the committee, the change would go to the full board for approval.
“This is an issue a number of school districts across the nation and state are struggling with,” district spokesperson Michelle Baumstark said. She cited Raymore-Peculiar School District south of Kansas City and Cobb County School District in Georgia as other districts that have adopted the proposed structure.
Issues arise when public comment participants share private, legally protected or inaccurate information, Baumstark said. “There’s an element of performance that happens when a camera is on,” she said. The proposed policy seeks to remedy those problems.
Lara Wakefield, who frequently addresses the board during public comment on special education, thinks the change would be a big mistake.
Wakefield, a speech-language pathologist and parent advocate who assists families in navigating the special education process, maintains it’s hazardous “if we don’t have policies that protect us to be able to speak … and to be able to go access it later.”
She described the potential change as “oppressive” and said it would allow discussion of important issues, such as special education, to be suppressed by the district.
“They want to spin the narrative,” Wakefield said. “Public comment that’s recorded, that can be shared out as concerns, doesn’t allow them to control the narrative.”
Wakefield said the proposal restricts district transparency and accessibility to those with disabilities, who may be unable to regularly attend board meetings.
Harper said he is unconvinced that stopping public comment recording is necessary. During the Policy Committee’s meeting Feb. 23, Harper said, “I believe that when we decided to record an entire meeting, the entire meeting should be recorded.” In an interview Tuesday, he reaffirmed his view, saying, “I’m on record saying I don’t support that.”
According to a 2024 Missouri School Boards’ Association document, public comments can be subject to certain guidelines and restrictions, so long as they are viewpoint-neutral. However, the association has not addressed the recording of public comment specifically.
