Is the Wake County school board's proposed ban on personal attacks from speakers too vague?

As noted in today's article, Katy Parker, the legal director of the ACLU of North Carolina, says the policy being voted on today leaves too much room for interpretation as to what would be considered a personal attack. She said what one person might consider a personal attack might not be viewed that way by another person.

In this case, school board chairman Ron Margiotta would be the person making the call.

UPDATE

The N.C. Open Government Coalition is also objecting to the speaker policy. Go to the end of the post to read their letter.

Do speakers at Wake County school board meetings have the right to make personal attacks against board members or anyone else?

The school board is set to give initial approval Tuesday to a new policy that sets guidelines on what speakers can say. Several civil rights groups sent a letter today objecting to language in the policy that says "speakers are required to refrain from personal attacks and insults directed at the Board, staff, or other members of the public."

"Comments that go directly to an elected school board members' job performance are protected speech - not personal attacks..." according to the letter. "The new policy prohibiting 'personal attacks' will likely result in impermissible viewpoint discrimination."

UPDATE

SEE END OF POST FOR LINK TO NEW POLICY 

Before the blog gets buried again by more posts related to the resignation of Wake County Schools Supt. Del Burns' resignation, here's something that should make privacy advocates feel a little better.

During Tuesday's committee of the whole meeting, the school board agreed to tell staff to remove the addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses from the more than 800 people who had left comments on the district's web site about school calendars.

The board also agreed to partially honor the request of the ACLU of North Carolina by no longer requiring speakers at board meetings to say their address.

Do you have a First Amendment right not to audibly say your name and address to speak at a Wake County school board meeting?

That's the contention made by the ACLU of North Carolina in a letter sent this week to the school board. In the letter, Katherine Lewis Parker, the group's legal director, writes that having to to say your name and address out loud could put speakers in fear of being retaliated against for their views.

"We believe that requiring individuals to audibly state their names and addresses in order to be permitted to speak at their own school board meetings is a form of censorship of the speaker's message based on content, in violation of the First Amendment," Parker writes.

Supporters of the diversity policy are rallying around the flag on Thursday.

On Thursday night, the YWCA of the Greater Triangle, the ACLU of North Carolina and WakeUP Wake County will host a forum on educational equity that "will discuss the significance of the school board elections." While no endorsements will be made, don't be shocked if you hear about the consequences of abandoning the diversity policy.

Calla Wright, head of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens for African American Children, will speak at the forum. It will come after she participates in a press conference earlier in the day with other groups to back school board candidates who support the diversity policy.

Staff photojournalist Shawn Rocco and staff writer Martha Quillin reported this week on Cary homeowner David Bowden's very large message to the town of Cary.

Wake is now apologizing for a December 2007 incident at Dillard Drive Middle School in which racially segregated assemblies were ordered by the principal.

Principal Teresa Abron had called for separate assemblies for black and Hispanic students after a confrontation between a black student and a Hispanic student. Wake had been defending Abron's actions and refused to issue an apology.

But in a letter released today by the ACLU of North Carolina, which had filed a civil rights complaint, the U.S. Department of Education said an apology has now been issued.

UPDATE

Click here for Wake's response to the feds. Click here for Abron's apology letter. 

Last week's stories on Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell and his opinions on immigration caused a stir.

Tonight at 5 p.m, the conversation will continue in Room 4085 at the UNC School of Law in "Understanding the Tension in Johnston County." (Here's the full story.)

The Hispanic Latino Law Student Association is hosting an open discussion with academics, community leaders, and politicians to address:

• How immigration has changed the demographics in N.C.
• The response to changing immigration demographics
• The underlying issues behind the tension in Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell's comments and anti-immigration rhetoric
• Where North Carolina is headed in respect to these issues

The event also will feature the participation of the Center for Civil Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, the N.C. Justice Center and others.