Do You Think BOE Meetings Should Be Recorded?

Transparency has been a hot topic with the West Islip Board of Education, and this week it came to a head in the community.

Local Voices blogger Glenn Montes received some backlash after announcing he recorded the BOE's October meeting, as well as past meetings, and posted clips on YouTube for residents to see.

During that same meeting, the board announced they would be recording the meeting as a trial run to possibly post future meetings online, though they said this particular meeting wold not be posted.

While the recording of meetings is allowed under the Open Meetings Law and a handful of residents praised Montes' effort to increase transparency, some residents are requesting that they at least know they are being recorded. Others suggest keeping the camera focused on the board, so that discussions can be heard but the faces of residents and their children are not broadcasted.

Still, others say they feel "violated" by the recording, and fear that people will not speak up at board meetings so as not to be filmed and broadcasted on the Web.

Are you for or against Board of Ed meetings being recorded and posted online? Would you prefer to be notified first? Let us know in the comments.