School Board OKs Use of Devices During Meetings

A clause in the Newark Unified Governance Handbook that prohibited the Board of Education from using personal devices during school board meetings was lifted last week – but not unanimously.

The board voted 4-1 on Feb. 21 to omit text from its handbook that does not allow for personal communication devices to be turned on during board meetings.

“Instead of something vague like that, let’s get to the point that we really, really, really want to talk about, which is one board member receiving communications that the other board members did not,” said Trustee Charlie Mensinger.

The clause will now read: “The board will not communicate with members of the community in any manner during a board meeting except during public comment.”

The change was a suggestion presented by Trustee Charlie Mensinger. Trustee Janice Schaeffer was the sole trustee who voted no.

The debate on whether personal communication devices could be used during board meetings

At that time, Schaefer expressed her belief that electronics could distract board members from the business at hand. She communicated similar sentiments Tuesday.

“We have had problems in the past, whether we want to acknowledge it or not and the question is how are we going to monitor that,” Schaeffer said. “I think we need to respect each other in a broad way and hold ourselves up to the highest standards.”

But Mensinger, who noted he often uses an iPad to take notes, said the concern was not about the devices but rather the methods of communicating being conducted during meetings.

“It’s not really the communication devices that we’re debating. What the issue at hand was was communicating, or getting communications from others while we’re sitting up here,” said Mensinger, who said he prohibits his iPad from being on a wireless network during board meetings.

During the discussion, President Ray Rodriguez asked board members what they considered communication devices and stated that the trust issue seems to be more centered on how the communication devices are used.

Trustee Nancy Thomas immediately noted that mobile phones were the main concern, but Thomas noted the text suggested by Mensinger was clear.

“I think what member Mensinger has tells me that I would agree not to communicate outside of the normal channels during a meeting,” Thomas said.

And Mensinger emphasized the text that was approved still indicates that any electronic devices used will not be accessible in a manner so that residents can communicate with board members.

Trustee Jan Crocker eventually sided with changing the text, noting she felt it would be wrong to prohibit someone from using an electronic device to take notes.

"I think you’re right," Crocker said to Mensinger. "We each have our own modalities of how we take notes."

“It comes down to an agreement,” Mensinger said. “Let’s all just do our own job. Do the best job for the district and quit playing around with this issue and move on.”

“We can go both ways with this,” Schaeffer said. “It’s really quite easy. We’re complicating it. We’re making it difficult… The reality is people are doing what they want to do regardless of the handbook."