School board debates electronic devices

PALMER — Does the Mat-Su Borough School Board need a policy prohibiting members from texting and emailing during meetings? A majority of its members don’t think so.

“If someone on the board is unethical, I’m sure it’s going to be pointed out,” board member Ole Larson said at Wednesday’s meeting. “I’m not for regulating ethics.”

Supporters of a ban on texting and emailing argue school boards across the country are adopting similar policies.

“This is not brought here to cause problems for board members. It is brought here to cover ourselves,” said board member Sarah Welton.

Larson suggested the school board handle it the same way as other boards on which he serves — have the member in charge at the start of every meeting request members shut off their phones and their Internet-enabled devices.

Board member Erick Cordero said that he didn’t think the policy was well constructed. The public has a right to know what business is being conducted at the table, but the policy focuses on devices that might not be used for communication and ignores devices that might sometime in the future be used for it, he said.

Board member Neal Lacy said a ban on texting at the table might cause fewer cellphone issues in district classrooms.

“What we do filters down to our schools,” he said. “We need to set the standard.”

The ban on texting and emailing failed with just Welton and Neal Lacy in favor.

A second proposed change to board policies fared better at the council table and stated that texts and email sent during board meetings in order to conduct board business fall under public records requirements.

“I see this as a very reasonable policy,” Cordero said.

Larson had a question — when would this come up?

The example was given of a board member out of town whose lost his cellphone connection and texted a board member to be let back into the meeting. Or, a board member who sent an email from out-of-state with proposed legislative language that was easier to write down than to formulate out loud.

That policy change passed, but a third one dealing with electronic devices did not. This one would have banned the use of any recording device in a closed-door executive session of the board.

“It’s already something we are supposed to do,” Cordero said.

Welton pointed out that a lot of times the board sets policies not to stop something that is happening or has become a problem, but to show the public that the board has considered the issue and set down in writing rules to prohibit it.

Member Lynn Gattis said the whole debate was a waste of time.

“We have important things to do, you guys,” she said. “It hasn’t been a problem. It isn’t a problem. Let’s move on.”

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.