Speak at a School Board Meeting

During the Regular School Year

• Public Comment on Agenda and Non-Agenda items will be limited to 1 hour.
• At each meeting, the Board will hear from a maximum of 30 speakers, and each speaker will have up to 2 minutes to comment.
• Speakers may sign up online in advance, or in person at the School Board meeting if spots are still available. The online speaker form will be posted four business days before the Board meeting and remain open until 4 p.m. the day before the meeting.
• If more than 30 speakers sign up online, a lottery process will be conducted by the close of business the day before the meeting.
  • Three of the 30 spots will give priority to APS students, if any students have signed up online in advance.
  • All speakers will be notified the status of their speaker request by email 24 hours before the meeting.
  • There will be no in-person sign-ups if all 30 spots are filled.
• If there are spots available, speakers may sign up in person with the Deputy Clerk or designee between 6:15 p.m. and 6:50 p.m. on the day of the meeting.  These speakers will be added to the list on a first-come, first-served basis until all spots are filled.
  • Speaker forms will be available outside the Board room.  Completed forms must be returned to the Deputy Clerk.
• Members of the public eligible to address the School Board include:
  • Residents of Arlington County;
  • Current or former APS students;
  • APS employees and retirees;
  • Businesses located in Arlington County or APS business partners; and
  • Parents and guardians of current or former APS students that live outside of Arlington County
• Individuals who wish to speak at a School Board meeting may be asked to provide additional information to confirm that they meet the eligibility requirements to participate in public comment, for example, by confirming their residence, student enrollment, or employment within Arlington Public Schools.
• You may sign up on someone else’s behalf, but only for one person / spot per meeting, in order to give others a chance to be heard.
• Speakers will be called in the order their forms were received, except that students will always be given priority and allowed to speak first, regardless of when they signed up.
• Speakers will have the option to speak in person or use the call-in service.
• Speaker substitutions are not permitted. A speaker may not yield their time to another individual before or during their remarks.
• For additional details, review the School Board Guidelines for Public Comment During School Board Meetings and Hearings (adopted July 8, 2025).
• Agendas and background information are posted one week prior to the Board Meeting on BoardDocs.
• Meetings take place in the Board Room of the Syphax Education Center, 2110 Washington Blvd, 2nd Floor, Arlington VA 22204.  School Board meetings generally begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
• School Board meetings can be viewed live online or on Comcast Channel 70 or Verizon Channel 41.

Accommodations:

• The School Board provides accommodations for persons with disabilities or who need an interpreter. Advanced notice for these services is required two business days before the meeting.
• If a speaker addresses the Board in a language other than English and has an interpreter, the speaker will have 2 minutes to speak, and the interpreter will have up to 2 additional minutes to translate the comments for the Board.
  • If an interpreter needs to be facilitated, advanced notice for this service is required. However, the Board Office cannot guarantee that an interpreter will be provided.
  • If an interpreter cannot be facilitated, the Board will be provided with a translation of the speaker’s comments after the Board meeting.

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If you have any questions, please contact the School Board Office at [email protected] or 703-228-6015.

UPDATED: 9/25/2025