CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board is weighing changes to its public comment rules, including banning speakers from giving their time to someone else and potentially reducing the speaking limit back to three minutes.

The discussion came as the district also prepares separate changes to its staff electronics policy, which drew criticism at last month’s board meeting.

Board weighs changes to public comment rules

At Tuesday’s study session, School Board member and state Rep. Aron Maberry proposed revisions to the board’s public participation policy, saying recent meetings showed the need for clearer procedures.

At the May 19 formal board session, a registered speaker asked to yield her time to another person, and the board approved it, according to previous reports. Maberry said allowing speakers to transfer their time is “not a great precedent for the future.”

The proposed changes would add language stating “no recognized speaker may yield or surrender or transfer” their allocated time.

Maberry said the revision would align CMCSS with other governing bodies in the state, which do not allow speakers to transfer their time and typically limit speakers to three minutes or less. The board currently allows five minutes, a change Maberry said was approved in previous years.

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He said this change would give more people the opportunity to speak during the 30-minute public comment period. “Like last month, where we had some members of the community that had to get pushed to this next board meeting that we’re about to have because they were unable to get within that 30-minute window,” Maberry said. “And that’s unfortunate.”

Board Vice Chair Kacie Bryant supported the revision and said she had also planned to recommend returning to a three-minute limit.

Maberry told Clarksville Now the proposed changes will be up for a vote at the June 16 formal board session.

District preparing new staff electronics policy

Maberry also addressed concerns about the CMCSS employee electronics policy. At last month’s meeting, audience members shouted out concerns about the staff phone policy as the board voted on the updated Student Code of Conduct.

He emphasized that the board does not vote on employee handbook changes, but the district has prepared updated language for the 2026-27 handbook.

The proposed revision states: “All employees are expected to have personal cellphones out of sight while on duty and supervising students. Employees should not use cellphones for personal business while on duty, except in an emergency. And use of cellphones is a violation of policies and/or state and federal laws – could result in discipline up to and including dismissal, referral to law enforcement officials as appropriate.”

“I’m very supportive of that,” Maberry said.

CMCSS spokesperson Anthony Johnson confirmed the updated language will appear in the upcoming employee handbook, which is reviewed annually and released during Annual Employee Training (AET) in July.

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