The Marion County School Board moved toward formalizing how citizens comment at meetings, settling on a structure that board members said aims to balance orderly business with broad community access.

Counsel and staff recommended changes after recent court guidance on public‑forum limits. "This work session is a public meeting as defined in Florida's Sunshine Law," Attorney Powers told the board, and he later summarized federal appellate guidance, saying: "Importantly, presiding officers should confer with counsel for the school board to identify when the public input may be considered obscene or a true threat and thus permitting a restriction." The legal briefing framed the board’s discussion about when and how it should restrict or direct speakers.

The board settled on a package of rules to be drafted into policy: (1) sign‑up forms for public comment must be turned in before 5:45 p.m. on meeting nights; (2) the board will set aside 30 minutes for comments attached to agenda items at the start of its meetings and 30 minutes for non‑agenda public comments at the end of the business portion of the meeting; (3) speaker time will be allocated by a sliding formula so the total time does not exceed each 30‑minute block—example drafting language discussed included 0–10 speakers at 3 minutes each, 11–15 speakers at 2 minutes each, and larger groups at 1 minute each; and (4) speakers will not be permitted to yield their time to another person.

Board members framed the goal as one of transparency and predictability. "I would rather…get through the agenda because there are lots of people who are here for the agenda," Board member Thoreau said, arguing that general complaints not tied to the evening’s agenda be heard at the end of the meeting. Several members also emphasized the need for staff to manage sign‑ups so clerks can tally speakers and give advance notice if the time allocation will change.

Staff and the clerk outlined logistics: forms will be available in the lobby and online; staff proposed a consistent 5:45 p.m. cut‑off for forms to allow staff time to compile the list and announce any pro‑rata time reductions before the public‑comment period begins. The board also asked staff to create clear signage and a short public‑service notice explaining the time formula, the 5:45 deadline, and who is eligible to speak in each comment period.

Attorney Powers and the board agreed to prepare the formal policy language and procedures for a future agenda; he recommended that the presiding officer consult counsel before restricting speech that might be constitutionally protected. No formal vote was recorded in the work session; staff will return with a draft ordinance or policy for the board to place on a future agenda for a final hearing.

Board members said they wanted the rules enforced consistently. "If the admonition if they continue and have not changed, then it's by that point, we stop," Attorney Powers said of the enforcement steps for disruptive or clearly unprotected speech.

The board also discussed special cases—elected officials, campaign speech and vendors—and directed staff to add clarifying examples and procedure notes so clerks and the presiding officer will have operational guidance during meetings. The board asked that the draft include a short script the clerk can read at the 5:45 p.m. deadline to notify the public if the allocation formula will reduce each speaker’s time.