Live public comment at Somerville School Committee meetings is on hold until there’s a way to mute or cut off speakers who might go too far legally, chair Emily Ackman said at the body’s Monday meeting.
The issue is not new – mayor Jake Wilson said there was an exploration several years ago of how to add a cutoff switch to the audio technology in the City Hall chamber used for committee and City Council meetings. It’s of refreshed concern because of a comment before summer break that made allegations against district staff, and named names.
“There is no option should an individual start speaking in ways that are unlawful or that could get the district sued,” Ackman said. “Legal counsel is concerned that it leaves us as a body exposed legally if there’s not a way to shut that mic off from up here.”
It’s why there was no public comment at the Monday meeting. “I didn’t make this choice lightly,” Ackman said, “but leaving us exposed legally is not a responsible choice.”
If the problem isn’t solved quickly, the committee might temporarily go online-only, Ackman said. City and school officials agreed to discuss options after the Monday meeting.
Allegations made in a public forum risk violating collective bargaining agreements that specify that staff have a right to face their accusers, member Andre Green said. Fellow member Laura Pitone emphasized that the committee had “no interest in trying to repress public comment,” but noted that a cutoff might be used not just for inappropriate references to staff, but also in “places where people include topics that are not relevant to us.”
The committee in Somerville includes Wilson, a former city councilor, as well as the council president, Lance Davis – who shared “the frustration of that mic not being able to be turned off, for a little bit different reasons.”
The committee was told an alternative mic setup might be complicated and cost around $2,000, Ackman said. It was a route Wilson knew well, because when the city clerk was asked years ago about a fix, he was told the wires were “buried” under the chamber floor, and it’d be “prohibitively expensive and difficult to troubleshoot.” Wilson said a reexamination will be done now to see if a cheaper, easier fix is possible.
The city said the $2,000 cost would come out of school district funds. “The city is asking the district to foot the bill,” which would mean a reallocation of money already budgeted for another use, Ackman said.
Pitone said she was confused by the billing.
“This is a facility issue in the city, not necessarily something distinct to the School Committee,” Pitone said. “If the School Committee has to consider reallocation, we would. But I’m hoping that the city could manage to fund fixing City Hall and the chambers to work the way they are supposed to work.”
