Speak at a School Board Meeting

• 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.
• 20 slots will be reserved for speakers to sign up online in advance.
  • Speakers will have the option to select to speak in person or use the call-in service.
  • The speaker form will be posted four business days before the Board meeting and remain open until 4 p.m. the day before the meeting.
  • A lottery process will be used to select speakers if more requests than available slots are received.
  • Email confirmations will be sent to speakers 24 hours before the Board meeting.
• 10 slots will be reserved for speakers to sign up onsite between 6:15 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. before the School Board meeting.  School Board meetings begin at 7 p.m.
  • A lottery process will be used to select speakers if more than 10 requests are received.  Speaker forms will be collected during the time period mentioned above.  At 6:45 p.m. 10 random speaker forms will be selected.
  • No speaker forms will be accepted before 6:15 p.m. or after 6:45 p.m. No exceptions.  
  • Speaker forms will be available outside the Board room.  Completed forms must be returned to the Deputy Clerk.
  • Speakers will be heard in the order they are selected.
  • Sign-ups on someone else’s behalf are not permitted.
• Students will be heard first, regardless of their sign-up order.
• 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 6, 2023).
• 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.
  • The School Board requests that the speaker provide their written comments to the Clerk by email or at the meeting.

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