Schools

Parent Asks Board of Ed to Broadcast Meetings

Communications Committee Chairwoman Katherine Kalin will begin discussing options for broadcasting the meetings, or parts of them, with the committee.

A Summit dad told the Board of Education at Thursday evening's regular meeting that he'd much rather be watching the meeting from the comfort of his sofa and asked what it requires to move forward with broadcasting meetings, which he noted would serve to inform a larger audience. 

The resident said the idea is brought up each year yet there hasn't been a definitive answer as to if that is a real possibility. He added that the City of Summit's Common Council meetings are available via television.

Board of Education President Gloria Ron-Fornes said in the past she has been uncomfortable with the idea, as many "play up to the camera." She added that if it were to be filmed and broadcast, she would like it to be done by a student, but at the same time she didn't wish to see that student spending hours at a meeting when he or she could be completing homework. She said contacting HomeTowne TV about the possibility is something the Board could look at, as is videotaping major events or topics and replaying them via the district website.

Ron-Fornes said the communications committee could take a look at options and Board member Edgar Mokuvos said it is something he believes the committee should investigate. Ron-Fornes then asked Communications Committee Chair Katherine Kalin to being discussing the various possibilities with the committee. 

Thursday's meeting, which ran close to three hours in length, covered a multiple of happenings within the district, including a vote on full day, tuition-based kindergarten, a security and safety presentation, the naming of Lawton C. Johnson's auditorium lobby, and an overview of the benefits reaped by the planting of the garden at Jefferson Primary. 

Check back with Patch for additional coverage of Thursday's meeting.


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