Individuals must register themselves in advance to speak at School Board meetings. Registration opens 72 hours before the meeting start time. The deadline for speaker registration and submission of supporting materials (handouts) is noon the day before the posted meeting. Anyone needing assistance with this process should contact Board Services BEFORE this deadline and a staff member will provide guidance in registering online or, if necessary, a downloadable registration form. ALL handouts must be emailed to BoardServices@houstonisd.org or delivered to the Board Services office at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 4400 West 18th Street, Houston 77092.

To comment on a specific agenda item or during the Hearing of the Community, access the relevant meeting agenda at this link at HoustonISD.Legistar.com/Calendar. Find the date of the meeting you wish to attend and click on eComment to register to speak for your selected agenda item(s) or Hearing of the Community. Please note, you will need to create an eComment account in order to register to speak.

For more guidance on completing this process, please see this visual guide linked here (en Español).

Registered speakers will receive an automated confirmation email confirming their registration and providing instructions to request to speak via Zoom if they wish to do so. The Zoom request must be received by 2 p.m. the day before the posted meeting. The speaker’s Zoom identification must match the full first and last name under which they registered or they will not be allowed to speak.

Speakers with disabilities are asked to email Board Services to specify any accommodations they may need.

The School Board welcomes members of the community to speak on subjects related to the school district. Community members can address the board in one of two ways:

• Speakers to Agenda Items - During any board meeting, people may speak about items on the agenda for that meeting.
• Hearing of the Community - During the regular monthly board meeting, people may speak about a district-related subject not covered by an item on the meeting agenda.

Seating in the board auditorium is available on a first come, first served basis. Overflow seating may be available, also on a first come, first served basis. Doors will open to the public 30 minutes before a scheduled public meeting.

• TIME LIMIT: Per board policy BED(LOCAL), speakers are limited to a maximum of two minutes each, regardless of the number of items for which they have registered to speak. If there are more than 30 speakers, time may be limited to one minute each. NOTE: A one- to two-minute time limit for comments is equal to approximately 125–250 words.  
• Speakers must be present at the time their name is called.
• Speakers must stay on topic and refrain from naming individuals, especially students, as their identity is protected under law.
• Verbal and other disruptions by persons during the School Board meetings are not acceptable as they inhibit the board’s ability to conduct business and the public’s ability to observe those processes. Persons who participate in such behavior will be given one warning and if the behavior is repeated, they will be asked to leave the meeting.

Interpretation services shall be provided for all regular monthly School Board meetings in Spanish. Speakers who need Spanish translation for other meetings or who need translation in other languages must contact Translations@HoustonISD.org or call 713-556-6380 no later than 48 hours before the meeting, and must provide a written copy of their comments no later than 48 hours before the meeting to provide time for translation. The district will accommodate the request subject to interpreter availability. NOTE: A one- to two-minute time limit for comments is equal to approximately 125–250 words.

Se brindarán servicios de interpretación al español en todas las reuniones mensuales ordinarias de la Junta Escolar. Los participantes que necesiten interpretación al español para otras reuniones, o a otros idiomas, deben contactar con Translations@HoustonISD.org o llamar al 713-556-6380 y enviar sus comentarios escritos un mínimo de 48 antes de la reunión, de manera que haya suficiente tiempo para traducirlos oportunamente. El Distrito aceptará estas solicitudes sujetas a la disponibilidad de intérpretes. NOTA: El límite de tiempo de 1 a 2 minutos para comentarios equivale a un texto de entre 125 y 250 palabras.