Public’s speaking time could be adjusted at Hamilton County School board meetings to better help serve the community

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (WDEF)- Parents were scheduled to speak at the end of the Hamilton County school board meeting rather than the beginning as usual.

This comes as the school board had the first reading regarding how long the parents can speak and if  it should be at the start or end of the meeting.

This comes as 14 parents were on the agenda to speak about a variety of topics such as mask mandates and school curriculum.

Some proposed ideas are limiting the time a parent can speak for three minutes instead of five.

Hamilton County School board member Marco Perez said the board is not trying to limit what people say.

“There is no intention to limit the community. There’s an intention to ensure that it’s productive and it moves forward in a way that serves the community,” said Perez.

Other suggestions include having a special meeting where parents can talk to the school board about anything for five minutes and the board can respond on the topics.

The first reading is expected to be adjusted to incorporate these suggestions and will be addressed next reading.