'Political speech is free speech': County school board postpones vote to limit comments

Parents convinced Rutherford County school officials to postpone a proposed policy Thursday to limit public comments to agenda items only.

"All we ask is for the opportunity to speak on our terms," Caleb Lay told the Rutherford County Board of Education members. He spoke during the public comment part of the meeting that allows people at this time to speak for up to 3 minutes without limits on what school issues they can mention.

Board Chairwoman Shelia Bratton called for postponing the proposed policy until the summer to pursue further research and discussion on the issue.

A unanimous board agreed to postpone a vote on the policy. Many audience members then applauded after Lay and four others had spoken in opposition to the proposed limits on public comments.

Lay also suggested he was skeptical that board members will reply back to emails about citizen grievances. He noted that citizen grievances are part of the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights. A policy that limits public comments is about the board "controlling the narrative and debate," Lay said.

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The seven elected school board members also heard La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole tell them he opposes the proposed limits on public comments.

"Political speech is free speech," said Cole, who noted that he's a father of two children attending Rutherford County Schools.

Cole after the meeting said that two other issues he brought up during his speech would have been blocked had the policy been in effect. That includes Cole suggesting the board accept a Tennessee drivers license to speak as opposed to other requirement options, including a federal income tax return.

Cole also spoke about scheduling school board meeting times to later in the evening than the existing 5:30 p.m. to make meetings more accessible to parents who work day shifts. The La Vergne Board of Mayor and Aldermen moved meeting times to 6:30 p.m. for workshops and 7 p.m. for regular meetings.

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Board member Caleb Tidwell opposes limits on public comments

Board member Caleb Tidwell said he opposes the proposed policy of limiting public comment speech. He suggested the school officials who backed the proposed policy misinterpreted a state law that he said allows comments on both agenda items and other school issues.

"If we are already abiding by the law, why is this policy being proposed?" said Tidwell, adding that the existing policy that allows parents to speak during the public comment part of meetings has not caused problems. "We know that we need our parents involved with students to have good schools, to have good academics. We do not want to push them away."

Independent Rutherford school board candidate Robert Brooks also spoke on opposition to the proposed policy that put limits on public comment speeches.

"We're supposed to work together (and) not against each other," Brooks said.

Brooks is campaigning for a Zone 2 seat in the Aug. 1 election against Republican primary winner Stan Vaught and fellow independent John Duncan.

Duncan faces an investigation from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on accusations that he took inappropriate photos of himself inside a school.

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Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Rutherford school board postpones vote on limits on public comments