Clovis parents won’t be able to watch school board meetings live online. Here’s why

Clovis Unified parents who have been watching school board meetings online will now have to attend meetings in person if they want to participate.

During the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued what became a series of executive orders requiring school boards to livestream meetings online, allowing the public the participate from home.

But the last of those orders expired Friday.

And while many California school districts are debating whether to continue streaming their meetings, Clovis Unified officials announced a full return to in-person school board meetings. Residents will no longer be able to speak during public comment periods over the phone.

“This allows everyone to witness every action of the board and public comments delivered to the board while we continue, as we have done throughout the pandemic, to meet in-person and receive in-person comments from the public,” Clovis Unified Chief Communications officer Kelly Avants told the Education Lab in an email.

But not everyone thinks it’s a good idea.

Morgan Terry has family who attends Clovis Unified and has been watching meetings from home during the pandemic, eager to keep up with school developments.

“Going back to the old ways is not a good enough excuse for cutting out the livestreaming. Parents cannot easily get sitters, change schedules, or attend in person,” Terry said. “Additionally, the board has proven that they can livestream, so I guess I’m asking why not keep it going.”

CUSD parent James Renwick said the change is a red flag for supporters of government transparency.

“This is, and I can’t stress this adjective enough, another transparency issue with the CUSD Board,” Renwick said.

For Terry, who has a disability, cutting the livestream option makes it more difficult for her to participate.

“We need to not only livestream but accept public comment from remote viewers,” Terry said.

Terry and other parents like Stephanie Mangrum said they are also worried about attending in-person meetings due to the rise of the Delta variant.

“We are still in the middle of a pandemic,” Mangrum told the Education Lab. “There are a lot of folks in the district that are still refusing to get vaccinated or wear masks, and that puts myself and others at a greater risk to being exposed.”

Parents who spoke to the Ed Lab questioned whether the move would save the district money. Avants said no, it doesn’t save any money, but it does save time for already stretched-thin school district employees.

“Discontinuing livestreaming allows us to focus staff and technical resources to support our in-person meetings. The cost to use the system is not any different, but livestreaming does require more technical support and does not allow for any safety net should our electronic system or internet fail or be interrupted during a meeting. Livestreaming is a more fragile digital process than recording and posting after the conclusion of the meeting,” Avants said.

But not all parents are concerned over the end of the executive order. Some parents, like Mandy Ortiz, are fine with conducting board meetings as they were pre-pandemic.

“My thought process on it, I think it’s as it was before,” Ortiz said. “As a society, we need to get back to normal in any way, shape, or form.”

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab here.

This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.