House Education Committee Afraid of Free Speech

Edits are being made as we speak to Senate Bill 90, which requires all school districts to allow public comment at school board meetings. According to House Committee Members, only small edits are being made to reinforce wording that school boards are allowed to create their own policies to “set the stage” for what their schools will require during public comment.

What is strange, is that Federal court cases have already “set the stage” for what can be and cannot be said at these school board meetings. Once a person is allowed to speak, there can be no restriction on what they say. Period.

While the Arkansas School Board Association (ASBA) and Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators (AAEA) try to strike fear in the House Committee Members, what we do know is that this should have been a right, all along. The First Amendment is being violated every day, and I am shocked no taxpayer has filed a Federal Lawsuit against these schools that restrict what can be said or refuse to even allow public comments.

Fingers crossed, the meeting should take place this Thursday, February 27^th at 10 am in the House Education Committee room (138).

Missy Bosch

Missy is the author of “Crushed, but Not Broken”, a story detailing her daughter’s diagnosis and her family’s fight with CNS HLH. She has a passion to improve education and help children with disabilities receive the education and respect they deserve. Missy and her husband are AF veterans and have 4 children.