How to Attend or View a School Board Meeting

Anyone may attend or view a public meeting. 

TO VIEW current and past meetings online:
CLICK HERE to go to the Pine-Richland School Board YouTube channel.

DETERMINE MEETING LOCATION

Most meetings are held in the DeWitt Blank Conference Room of the District Administration Office, 702 Warrendale Road, Gibsonia. The administration offices are behind the high school and use a separate entrance from the school. Occasionally, if high attendance is expected, meetings are moved to a different location, like a school auditorium.  To be sure, check here on the day of a school board meeting.

DeWitt Blank Conference Room / District Administration Office. The District Administration Office is located at 702 Warrendale Road, Gibsonia (attached to the back of the high school, but a separate entrance; no public access through the high school). Drive to the high school, but take the small road between the left side of the high school (gym side) and the tennis courts to drive to the parking lot close to the entrance to the administration entrance. Enter the lobby of the admin offices. The conference room is immediately on the right, in view through windows.

Pine-Richland High School Auditorium. The high school is located at 700 Warrendale Rd, Gibsonia. Park in the lots closest to the front entrance of the high school and enter the lobby through the main entrance doors. Once inside, there are two doors on the right that lead into the auditorium.

Richland Elementary School Auditorium. Richland Elementary School is located at 3811 Bakerstown Rd in Gibsonia. Park in the front lot or the lot located on the left side of the building (if you’re facing the building from the road). The entrance to the auditorium is the first one on the left side of the building.

BEFORE YOU GO INTO THE MEETING ROOM

No matter where the meeting is held, there will be a table in the lobby, just outside the doors. There will be a variety of papers at this table.

• If you’d like a printed meeting agenda, take one from the table. 

• ALL ATTENDEES should sign the Attendance page.  

• IF YOU PLAN TO SPEAK AT THE BEGINNING of the meeting, add your name and contact information on the form labeled for speaking at the beginning.  Once the meeting begins, the board secretary will retrieve the list.

• IF YOU PLAN TO SPEAK AT THE END of the meeting, add your name and contact information on the form for speaking at the end. That form will remain on the table for the duration of the regular meeting, so you may add your name at any time before it is retrieved as the meeting nears the end of the agenda.
  
  

 WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT SPEAKING AT THE MEETING

• Only residents of Pine and Richland, as well as nonresident parents or guardians, are permitted to speak.

• The board allows 60 minutes of public comments before starting board business. If there are more before-meeting speakers than time allowed for, those people will be the first to speak at the post-meeting public comment period.

• The board allows each speaker three minutes. A timer is usually shown on the large video screen(s). When a speaker has only 15 second remaining, the board president will say “15 seconds” to let you know your time is almost up. Board members do not comment or answer questions during this time.

• The same rules apply to both in-person and online speakers.

• Try to speak calmly and keep your voice level, even if you are angry. Use your words to express your anger, not your voice. 

 WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE MEETING

• Sometimes there is a meeting before the 7 p.m. meeting. These meetings are public, and you may enter/leave the room at any time, even if there is one in progress. 

• There are no assigned seats; sit wherever you’d like. Note that if you sit near a microphone, it is possible you’ll be on camera behind speakers during the public comment periods.

• Around 7 p.m., the board president will call the meeting to order and leads everyone in saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Next, the district communications director shares any announcements and student recognition. Then it’s time for the start of public comments.

• If you decide during the meeting that you'd like to speak, you may add your name to the end-of-meeting speaker list up until the point that it is picked up by/for the board secretary.

TO SPEAK BY PHONE

• The same speaking rules apply to online speakers. 

• Fill out the form for viewing the meeting online. Include your phone number, and check the appropriate box under "Would you like to address the board?"

• Be ready to answer your phone AND MUTE YOUR LIVESTREAM when you receive a call from the Board Secretary. If you miss the call, the board will likely try to reach you once more.
  
  

HELPFUL LINKS

• School board meeting schedule: https://www.pinerichland.org/school-board/act-65-agendas-and-upcoming-meetings

• Agendas: a PDF of an agenda listing each matter that may be the subject of deliberation or official action at the meeting will be available at www.pinerichland.org/Page/9476 twenty-four hours prior to the actual meeting.

• Active agendas are available on the main page of BoardDocs and are made active at noon on the day of the meeting(s).  https://go.boarddocs.com/pa/prsd/board.nsf/public