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Speaker policy change attacked
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Oct. 20, 2009 | 12:25 a.m.
After a long, hot summer in which the Clark County School Board often faced harsh criticism and charges of racism, the board is considering a change in its policy on public speakers to prohibit language that is "slanderous, offensive, inflammatory (or) irrational."
Instead of silencing "personal attacks," the proposal has exposed the School Board to a new round of criticism from an eclectic mix of organizations that include the American Civil Liberties Union, the conservative Nevada Policy Research Institute and a West Las Vegas community activist group called WAAK-UP.
These groups have all criticized the School Board for trying to stifle free speech.
Maggie McLetchie, staff attorney for the ACLU of Nevada, said the organization is preparing a letter to send to the School Board.
Noting that words like "slanderous" and "offensive" are "subjective terms," McLetchie said it is not up to the School Board to determine the content of a public speaker's remarks.
School Board President Terri Janison acknowledged the criticism.
"We realize the wording was too broad," Janison said. "We're going to bring it back to make sure it's in line with the First Amendment."
The School Board had originally considered adopting the following language: "Public comment, the content of which is irrelevant, beyond the authority of the Board, willfully disruptive of the meeting, repetitious, slanderous, offensive, inflammatory, irrational, amounts to personal attacks or interferes with the rights of other speakers, is prohibited."
The language was taken from a state attorney general's office opinion from Feb. 25, 2002, involving the city of North Las Vegas.
But Mary-Anne Miller, counsel to the School Board, acknowledged at the Sept. 24 board meeting that this opinion was "a little broad in view of more recent cases. It's very difficult to enforce."
Miller told the School Board that any actions to limit a speaker cannot be "based on the content of a person's speech."
"If people get off-track or become too disruptive, you can ask them to move on or temporarily suspend the meeting until order is restored," Miller said.
School Board members can also sue someone if they think they have been slandered, she added.
School Board meetings have been contentious this year as the board has grappled with controversial issues such as socially isolated schools in the inner city and perceived inequalities in school funding.
Members of WAAK-UP have demanded that portable classrooms at the West Prep Academy be replaced with permanent facilities. The school, which is near the intersection of Martin Luther King and Lake Mead boulevards, serves mostly minority children in West Las Vegas, the area generally bordered by Carey Avenue on the north, Bonanza Road on the south, Interstate 15 on the east and Rancho Drive on the west.
At one meeting, School Board member Deanna Wright was so flustered that people were speaking over each other that she told audience member Marzette Lewis to "Shut up!"
School Board member Linda Young followed one public speaker, Anyika Kamal, out to the parking lot after he criticized her effectiveness as a School Board member.
Lewis of WAAK-UP said her group is justifiably angry.
"We have a right to be mad. We have a right to be outraged at what's being done to these poor children," she said.
Lewis said the School Board was "absolutely insane. There's no way you can limit freedom of speech."
The Nevada Policy Research Institute acknowledged that board meetings indeed bring out passion and that participants can feel personally attacked.
But, it said, "prohibiting speech that trustees unilaterally find irrelevant, inflammatory, irrational or offensive will only paint the board further into a corner -- characterizing it as one that routinely fails to respond to community needs and instead merely seeks to suppress the public."
McLetchie, the ACLU attorney, said the School Board members, as public officials, will always be subjected to some public ridicule.
"That goes with the territory," she said.
Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-374-7917.
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My daughter and several close friends are all second thru fifth grade teachers. Ask a teacher what is the most difficult part of the job? Management insisting the non-english speaking students be educated with english speaking students. Nobody gets very far ahead of the slowest nonative child. All educaters must teach down(reteach parts of previous grades) during current year holding up the other children. My youngest daughter is in sixth grade getting straight A's She helps her friends "dad I point to the answer and they still can't get it They don't know things that I learned in forth grade" Over 75% of hispanic students also recieve free lunch. I don't think the problem is with the teachers
The board only thinks of themselves. You at a school board meeeting are an enemy. You might ask them a questiion of which they have no answer. I will give them some credit, however they don't appear on television so the whole county can judge their intelligence.
Teacher is correct. Kohut-Rost is not only the "deputy" she speaks fluent BORG she has assimilated most of the non-teacher administration. If you resist the BORG you are eliminated.
As for the newest 100k+ administrator, he was hired by Halderman who is the districts Chief lobbyist and MOUTH.
No doubt the two of them are the cause and effect of the "GAG order! Maybe the BOARD should demand an agenda item to have all the Board meeting televised?
Mr. Superintendent needs to take charge and clean house! While he is (or is not) doing that, parents must demand there State Representatives and Governor stand up to the powerful CCSD and BREAK IT UP!!!
To: teacher
A sincere thanks for your response, and an eye opening one at that. As a parent, I want to be well informed on the issues at hand and as I've already stated, you the teachers are the heart and soul the education experience. Thanks for your information. I am sorry to hear of your frustrations. And seriously, what's with the guy getting $100,000 to tell board members what color their brains are? I don't even understand such a study - what a complete waste!!! Do brains come in different colors? I plan on looking further into this and whether they like it or not, our board members will hear from me. Anymore info you can offer?
These wet-lipped liberals do dumb s#$% and then get their feelings hurt when they get called on it.
Perfect...
Monopoly. Not American!
BREAK up this colossal "school district"!
We need a law in Nevada that restricts school districts to a maximum enrollment of 100 thousand students, still very large but with it we get four school districts and some choice for our children!
Make it a point to ask and get answers from your State Representative and the people who are running for Governor!
To: teacher
First, thanks for your tireless efforts in role as teacher. It is no small task - I come from a family of teachers and appreciate what you are up against as well as your care and concern for our children's education. You are appreciated. You seem to have a problem w/our district superintendent and respective board members. I am curious about your point of view and why you feel that way. I feel like the teachers ought to have the loudest voice in matters of the district. You are the ones on the front lines. In your opinion, where are they going wrong?
To: Break up the District!
I've always been open to your alternative - most major cities have much smaller districts to serve the different needs of the communities within. Seems like some years ago this option was put on the table, but it never happened. I need to go back and understand why it was never implemented.
To: $175K no bennies
I have to agree w/most of what you said, especially that children should not move ahead a grade level until they have mastered their current grade level. It's best for the child. And if I feel like my children aren't properly educated in the classroom about the founding of this great nation and the Constitution, rest assured, they will be at home.