Twice in the past 10 months Burlington Area School District Board of Education members opted to suspend meetings and summon police to disperse the crowds after public comment periods crossed the line from constructive to unruly.
Some of those who attended accused the board of unilaterally silencing their voices and stomping on their First Amendment rights to be heard.
However, by interrupting officials, shouting, booing, refusing to honor time limits or demanding immediate action, members of the public actually did cross a line.
The line is established by the local board or council within the framework of the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law.
An in-depth look at how local officials accept input from their constituents is among the top stories in this week’s edition of the Burlington Standard Press.
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Here’s a look at some of the other stories in this week’s edition:
• EMERGENCY HELICOPTER BASE APPROVED: The Burlington Common Council on Tuesday unanimously endorsed plans to bring Flight for Life emergency helicopter service to the Burlington Municipal Airport. The move was touted by some local officials as a major upgrade in public safety for people throughout the area.
• A PEEK INSIDE THE NEW SCHOOL: The recently completed Karcher Middle School opened this week, earning positive reviews from staff and students. We have photos of the new $32.7 million facility in use.
• MAN ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, STALKING: A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9 for a Lake Geneva man charged with recording his sexual assault of a woman and threatening to show her husband.
• CHURCH STEPS UP TO ASSIST WITH COUNCIL CHAMBER UPGRADE: The City of Burlington found a willing partner in LifeBridge Church for improving audio and visual experiences for Common Council meetings and other proceedings after the Common Council rescinded an initial contract because of competitive bidding issues.
• CCHS UPGRADES: Catholic Central High School recently completed two major components of its plan to refresh the learning environment at its Burlington campus as part of the school’s 100th anniversary.
• ON THE ROAD, GO FOR 2: Burlington High School’s football team relied on that old axiom as it came from behind to defeat Elkhorn in overtime and notch their first win of the 2021 season.
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