The Bryan County Board of Education’s policy “public participation in board meetings” is on a tentative agenda for Thursday’s called work session at the BOE Board Room in Black Creek.

The board’s policy, approved has drawn fire from some, who claim it is overly restrictive.

At least one critic of school policies and curriculum, Betsy DeBry, ran afoul of the policy in 2021 as spirited local protests over mask mandates led the BOE to begin requiring law enforcement presence at meetings.

At one such meeting in Richmond Hill attended by DeBry, several opponents of the mandate shouted “shame” at school board members as they left the room. DeBry, who was later prohibited from addressing the board, later claimed the BOE violated her First Amendment rights.

While school board members have denied the policy restricts individuals from addressing the board, “it does provide certain protocols to ensure meetings are conducted in a professional and orderly manner,” according to a January statement on behalf of the school board from BoE Chairwoman Amy Murphy, who said DeBry was disruptive.

The current policy, available on the Bryan County Schools website, was last updated in May 2021. While residents can sign up before the meeting to speak on agenda items, they must contact Superintendent Dr. Paul Brooksher 24 hours in advance to speak on items not on the agenda.