The Chapel Hill – Carrboro City Schools Board of Education will meet Thursday night and review a proposal to alter public comment at board meetings in the future.

The board initially discussed possible revisions to the board’s current public comment policy at the board retreat in late September, according to district officials.

Board chair Rani Dasi wrote in an email to WCHL that the board reviewed public comment practices in other districts, which include receiving public comment once per month, limiting the public comment period to one hour or having a hard stop time placed on their meetings.

The board’s policy committee reviewed options and proposed a revision to the current policy to change the allotted time for an individual to offer comments to the board from three minutes down to two minutes.

Dasi wrote that the board was considering this option with “the goal that decisions affecting our children are made with sufficient time for board discussion in full view of stakeholders.” She noted that the board has heard from community members that the meetings run so late, at times, that they must leave before final votes are taken.

“The board sees diminishing effectiveness in meetings that go late into the night,” Dasi added.

The board receives public comment through email, traditional mail and personal meetings, Dasi wrote, in addition to the public comment periods available at meetings.

“We, as a board and a district, believe in and strongly value input from all community members and demonstrate this by offering a variety of methods to receive public communication.”

Several community members reached out expressing concerns over this item ultimately being used to limit public input as the board is making decisions impacting the school system.

The item on the initial agenda said that the board would consider the policy revision Thursday night with the expectation that a vote would be held on whether to implement the policy.

The board will now discuss the proposal Thursday and has placed the item on a future work session agenda, Dasi wrote, meaning no vote will be held Thursday.

The school board meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Lincoln Center.

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