Public Meetings & Participation

A school committee meeting is a formal gathering of a government body at which members of the body deliberate over the public business. The Canton School Committee adheres to Robert’s Rules and meets twice per month from September through June. There is typically one meeting per month during July and August, in addition to several workshops during the summer.

We welcome the attendance of members of the Canton community to view the School Committee as we conduct our regular business meetings and workshops so that they may become better acquainted with the operations and the programs of our schools. In compliance with the Open Meeting Law, our meeting agendas are posted at least 48 hours in advance of any meeting with the Town Clerk and on our website.

Any citizen who wishes to make a presentation to the School Committee on an item that is of interest to him/her/them and within the scope of the School Committee’s responsibilities may request to be placed on the agenda for an upcoming meeting.  Such a request should be in writing and received by the Superintendent at least one week before the upcoming meeting date and contain background statements that explain the scope and intent of the agenda item. The Chair of the School Committee will work with the Superintendent to formulate meeting agendas. Together they determine if and when the item is to be taken up and all parameters required of the presenter.

In addition, we invite individuals to participate in the public comment period of our meetings. For this, Canton Public School community members can express their opinions, for up to 5 minutes, on matters within the School Committee’s purview: the annual budget;  school district goals; school district policies; and/or oversight of the Superintendent. 

In accordance with general practice and our policy, public comment is not intended to be an opportunity for discussion between individuals and the School Committee or Administration.

You may sign up and share your comment either in person or via Zoom.  A period of up-to 30 minutes will be held for comment and participants will be selected in the order they have registered. For more information on how and when to sign up, contact Hutchinsonc@cantonma.org.

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are held at 6:00 PM in the Canton High School Distance Learning Lab, 900 Washington Street, Canton MA. If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, you can access the meeting on television on the "Student Station" on Comcast 6/Verizon 41/Verizon HD2143; as well as via CantonCommunityTV.org where links to live-streamed coverage are posted on the day of the event.

What public participation in meetings must be allowed?

Under the Open Meeting Law, the public is permitted to attend meetings of public bodies but is excluded from an executive session that is called for a valid purpose listed in the law. While the public is permitted to attend an open meeting, an individual may not address the public body without permission of the chair. An individual may not disrupt a meeting of a public body, and at the request of the chair, all members of the public shall be silent. If, after clear warning, a person continues to be disruptive, the chair may order the person to leave the meeting. If the person does not leave, the chair may authorize a constable or other officer to remove the person. Although public participation is entirely within the chair’s discretion, the Attorney General encourages public bodies to allow as much public participation as time permits. Any member of the public may make an audio or video recording of an open session of a public meeting. A member of the public who wishes to record a meeting must first notify the chair and must comply with reasonable requirements regarding audio or video equipment established by the chair so as not to interfere with the meeting. The chair is required to inform other attendees of any such recording at the beginning of the meeting. If someone arrives after the meeting has begun and wishes to record a meeting, that person should attempt to notify the chair prior to beginning recording, ideally in a manner that does not significantly disrupt the meeting in progress (such as passing a note for the chair to the board administrator or secretary). The chair should endeavor to acknowledge such attempts at notification and announce the fact of any recording to those in attendance.

https://www.mass.gov/doc/open-meeting-law-guide-and-educational-materials-0/download