Johnston county school board no longer allowing public comments?

Recent reports confirm that the Johnston County School Board decided to cease broadcasting the public comment portion of its meetings. According to the school board chair Lyn Andrews, this change does not equate to preventing transparency or denying public access to share information. The board continues to allow public comments during meetings, but these comments are no longer live-streamed or broadcasted publicly. This distinction is important because while the public can still participate by providing comments, the board has altered how those comments are shared with the wider community.

This action differs from completely disallowing public comments, which some other districts have done or considered. For example, Cobb County School Board recently stopped streaming public comments but did not stop allowing them either. Meanwhile, local opinion pieces emphasize that free speech and open government remain priorities for Johnston County, indicating that censorship is not the intent behind this policy change.

In summary:

Therefore, the claim that Johnston County School Board is "no longer allowing public comments" is misleading; they have changed the format of how those comments are shared publicly but have not eliminated the comment opportunity itself.