Listening is a learning opportunity that extends to education officials.
To that end, we support a renewed effort to ease guidelines for speakers to address the Jefferson City Board of Education during its public meetings.
Under the existing policy, speakers are limited to items on the meeting agenda.
During a policy committee meeting Thursday, board member Pam Murray renewed her call for a less-restrictive policy, also favored by fellow board member Michael Couty.
Since the issue initially was discussed, Murray said, two new members - Lorelei Schwartz and Rich AuBuchon - have been elected to the seven-member board.
Murray prefers a policy that does not limit speakers to agenda items.
School board members who are reluctant to ease restrictions cite potential consequences.
Among them is the possibility a presenter will reveal confidential information pertaining to a specific student. The remedy is to remind speakers at the beginning of the forum to address policies, not to name people.
A more likely consequence is board members may be blindsided by a speaker's revelation. No one likes to appear uniformed or unprepared, particularly in a public setting. That is a reason speakers must adhere to agenda issues.
But school board members are not, and should not, be privy to every incident that occurs in a classroom. Board members formulate policy and rely on administrators and faculty to carry out those policies. Board members are not in the schools on a daily basis and, to their credit, are not micro-managers.
Admittedly, presenters may not distinguish specific complaints from policy issues, and easing restrictions increases the risk board members may "look bad."
Ultimately, however, public forums are not about being blindsided or appearing unprepared, they are about gathering information. And specific incidents may be indicators of larger policy issues.
We encourage school board members to consider easing the restrictions on speakers as a means to exchange information and improve communication.