Members of the public will be allowed to attend meetings of the Greater Essex County District School Board after in-person attendance was limited earlier this summer.
While the public will be allowed to attend meetings in-person, there will be enhanced security measures in place at the administrative building during public meetings and the board will establish standards for members of the public attending in person.
A maximum of 133 seats will be available and that number will be monitored by security personnel, and all visitors will be required to sign in and then sign out at the conclusion of the meeting. The Board also states that signs, posters and other props will be prohibited.
Because of concerns for the safety of staff and board members the June 20, 2023 meeting was closed to the public with live streaming access only, until a new safety plan was devised.
The decision was made following several incidents at previous board meetings where members of the public were deemed disruptive.
Cathy Cooke, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for the GECDSB, says there will be some changes to the meetings.
"There will be a sign in sheet, there will be security guards. There will also be a bloackage down one of the hallways just so the public has access to the gallery, to the washroom, and to the drinking fountain, but they cannot access the whole building, which has happened in the past."
She says it's important that everyone at the meeting, board and parents included, feel safe.
"We also have some mirrors that are going to be set up in the board room, so some of our staff that had their backs to the public can see what's going on. There will be also a microphone in a different spot so when the public is speaking as a delegate they don't have to come right up to where the trustees are, and pass the staff."
Cooke says she's excited that the public can attend the meetings in person.
"Everyone needs to feel comfortable, and has a right to feel safe. And I think that we're going in the right direction, and I'm very excited to have parents, public, you know, parents want to come back and watch our board meetings, or if they're going to be a delegate, I think it's awesome."
Following the decision to limit in-person attendance, a protest was staged outside of the board office while the June 20 meeting took place inside.
Members of the group Parents for Parents Rights protested over gender identity policies and being denied access to the public meeting. A counter-protest was also put together by community members and those from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to show support for the school board.
Public attendance will be now allowed at the Tuesday, Sept. 19, board meeting, with the doors opening for public attendance at 6:30 p.m.
Meetings will continue to be live-streamed for the convenience of the public.
-with files from AM800's Meagan Delaurier