Three school patrons voiced frustrations and concerns Monday over various issues regarding the district to the Kingfisher Board of Education at its February regular meeting.

One man’s issue was with the very process it took for him to be able to appear in front of the board.

“You guys should welcome any questions or comments anybody has,” said Scott States in his address.

“I mean, if you’re not doing anything wrong, you shouldn’t be worried about what somebody’s going to say.”

Every school board meeting is open to the public, which is required by the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, but board policy adopted in October 2005 outlines the procedure necessary to speak to the board members in the open session.

That procedure includes communicating the wish to the superintendent by letter. There is currently a form patrons can fill out that serves as this letter.

The letter must state the nature of the matter to be discussed and what is expected of the board. It must be received by the superintendent at least five business days prior to the next meeting in order to be placed on the agenda.

The superintendent must inform the board president of any individual or organization that is denied the chance to speak.

The policy goes on to state board members and administrative staff won’t respond to questions from the public at the board meeting.

“Proper questions from members of the public may be referred to the superintendent for later report to the board,” it states.

Also, in most cases, the board won’t be able to vote on matters brought to them by the public at that meeting unless it was already a specific agenda item.

The president of the board is charged with recognizing speakers, maintaining proper order and setting time limits.

Speakers were limited to three minutes Monday.

States said he felt the process was too tedious and should be more in line with what he said other boards in the area – namely Dover, Okarche and Crescent –followed.

“It’s been a long road to get here,” said States, who has attended the last several board meetings with exception to the special meeting held Jan. 15.

“I’ve been sitting here the last three or four months. How that came to be, I had a simple request on a lunch issue.”

States said he was “dismissed” which is why, he said, he came to request a form, which he referred to as a “golden ticket,” to address the board.

“That’s like an act of Congress to try to get that thing,” he said. “I understand Mr. (Superintendent Jason) Sternberger wants to head off everything that he possibly can, but this needs to change.”

Sternberger after the meeting said the policy in place is designed to follow a “chain of command” that prevents the board from having to work backwards.

“There’s a process in place in order to try to get a resolution,” Sternberger said.

He pointed out board policy regarding a grievance procedure between a parent and teacher.

“If the grievance is directed toward a teacher, the parent shall be requested to make an appointment to visit with the teacher in an effort to resolve the grievance,” it reads.

If no resolution is achieved, then the parent is directed to discuss the issue with the building principal. Again, if no resolution there, the parent can schedule an appointment with the superintendent.

The policy states: “If the grievance remains unresolved following the above con ferences, the parent may appeal the grievance to the board of education,” the policy says. “Parental grievances shall not be heard in executive session. The board’s action shall be a final determination of the grievance.”

States suggested the board open every meeting by giving any citizen a chance to address the board. He said other districts make that possible.

“It doesn’t have to be that difficult. You don’t have to go in there (points to Sternberger’s office) and, I’m sorry, but I mean feel like you’re being bullied on whether you’re going to get this piece of paper or not, whether or not he’s going to approve it or not to be heard in front of you guys,” States said.

“This shouldn’t be this way.”

Sternberger said following the board procedure as it is allows for a proper flow for resolution.

“Once they’ve done all that, they’re welcome to address the board,” Sternberger said.

He added: “And regardless if someone addresses the board or not, if they make the request, the board president is immediately notified.”

While all board meetings must be open to the public, the Oklahoma Attorney General in a 2002 opinion that interpreted the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act said boards aren’t required to open them up for the public to speak.

“[N]either the [Open Meeting] Act nor the First Amendment to the United States Constitution grants members of the general public a right to be heard by public bodies making public policy decisions,” the opinion states.

“A review of the Act itself shows there is no provision guaranteeing citizens a right to participate in the governmental decisions being made at an open meeting.”

Sternberger said, however, public input is appreciated.

“We just need the chance to come up with a resolution at the lower levels first,” he said. “If they’re not satisfied, then they’re more than welcome to talk to the board.”

Changes to the policy could be on the horizon.

Sternberger and Board President Carly Franks confirmed the board has already looked at possibly changing the policy. “We’ve been talking

“We’ve been talking about this, gathering information from other school districts, how they handle it and what would be the best way for us to do it moving forward,” Franks said after the meeting. “We’ve been doing our due diligence on it, gathering some facts and we’ll bring it forward at a future meeting.”

Prior to the floor being opened to the speakers on hand, Franks read policy of what’s allowed when addressing a school board:

“At this board meeting during the public comments, the public cannot get into the personal employment information or personnel or the protected education of our students,” she said. “As a board, we will listen carefully to the information provided. Board members will not be able to respond. However, a board member will meet with Jason (Sternberger) at a later time to review the items presented.”

Mike Matthews later addressed the board and asked members to raise their hands if they were aware of what Matthews said were prior allegations against an unnamed faculty member before that person was hired at KPS.

Matthews did not elaborate on what allegations he was talking about and Franks reminded him board members could not respond to public comments, per policy.

April Lumpkin was the first person to speak to the board. She addressed concerns about how a few subjects at the high school were being taught and how it affected her own children in the district.

See Page 2A for a full report on other issues discussed at Monday’s school board meeting.