Is School Board’s proposed policy on public comments at meeting overbroad?

Karen Gray over at the Nevada Policy Research Institute addresses another interesting free speech issue. Apparently the School Board is tired of the tirades directed at them during public comment periods at open meetings.

According to Gray, the board is contemplating a written policy that would read:

"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."

Disruptive, repetitious? Sure. But Gray quotes an ACLU lawyer asking the relevant question: Who is to say just what is irrelevant or irrational?

As for slanderous, offensive and inflamatory, those come with the territory. If the public thinks their elected officials are not doing a good job in their assigned duty, they have every right to upbraid, strongly.

This policy is as useful as speech codes. Use common sense.