After almost two months of hearing story after story of misconduct within the schools, the Babylon community is hurting and desperate to feel heard by the administration. We understand that there are investigations ongoing, but the community deserves to have respectful, accessible board meetings in the meantime. We deserve space and time to share our thoughts. 

The Board of Education meeting on 12/13 was painful for many community members and ineffective for communication between the community and the board.

https://patch.com/new-york/babylonvillage/sexual-abuse-survivors-interrupted-silenced-li-boe-meeting

The meeting was held in a room that was too small for the number of attendees, which could have reasonably been predicted after the previous meeting. Many individuals were kept waiting outside the library and in some cases, outside the building, as the meeting began. Those who could not attend in person were frustrated by the quality and format of the live streaming. Community members who bravely spoke from their hearts about their experiences were interrupted and/or cut off. Some felt that time limits for speakers were inconsistently enforced depending on the content of the speech. There were six security guards, some of whom put their hands on community members, and attendees reported feeling as though they were intentionally being intimidated. The result was that the community continued to lose faith in the Board of Education. Regardless of the intent with which the 12/13 meeting was planned, it sent a message to the community that the Board of Education is not willing to listen to us as parents, alumni, and students. 

After this painful meeting, we as a community need to know that the next Board of Education meeting will be accessible, respectful, and fair. As the January meeting approaches, we want to give the Board of Education an opportunity to work with us.

We, the parents, alumni, students, friends, loved ones, and neighbors of Babylon Village, demand the following:

1.  An immediate apology from the Board of Education to the community regarding the manner in which the 12/13 meeting was planned and conducted. 
2. If the 1/10 meeting is held in person, it will be held in Rowe Hall to accommodate anyone who wishes to attend. Given the past two meetings, we can reasonably expect that Rowe Hall is a more appropriate venue than is the High School Library. 
3. The limit for each speaker is increased from 3 to 5 minutes. Anyone who exceeds this limit is respectfully given the opportunity to complete their thoughts. The Board of Education will exercise caution not to enforce the limit differently based on content or the speaker's position on an issue. Other than gently enforcing a 5-minute time limit, the board will not interrupt the speaker. There will be no limit on the number of individuals permitted to speak. 
4. There will be no differentiation between the public comments and the Q&A portions of the meeting. Rather, speakers may both make statements and ask questions within their 5 minutes. 
5. The Board of Education will enlist an independent professional service to ensure a high-quality Zoom livestream so that those who are unable to attend in person may attend virtually. 
6. Individuals who plan to attend via Zoom may pre-register for a 5-minute opportunity to speak. The board will figure out how to make this happen. 
7. Prior to the meeting, the Board will draft and circulate a code of conduct for attendees. It will be posted with the meeting agenda on the BOE website. Security guards may approach attendees if and only if they have clearly violated the pre-established code of conduct. Security guards are to be trained on the code of conduct prior to the meeting.
8. The Zoom chat function will be left ON. A moderator appointed by the board will be trained on the code of conduct to monitor the Zoom chat and remove individuals from the meeting if and only if there is clear evidence that they have violated the pre-established code of conduct. 
9. The district's self-appointed counsel may address community members and speakers if and only if they have specifically asked a question of them. Otherwise, questions asked of the board must be answered by the board. The Board of Education must make every effort to provide answers for questions asked of them. If ongoing investigations preclude a detailed answer, they must do the following:
   1. A board member must, at minimum, reflect the speaker's point back to them to demonstrate understanding. For example, "I heard you say that you are concerned about X." 
   2. The topics unable to be publicly addressed by the Board must be clearly listed in the meeting notes. 
10. The Board of Education provides a mechanism (ie, email) for community members to communicate any concerns they have about the PROCESS of the meeting after it has concluded so that community feedback can continue to help rebuild our relationship.