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New Jersey Herald
MONTAGUE Residents have a First Amendment right to speak on school issues at board meetings and shouldn t fear being sued for doing so, said Board of Education President Barbara Holstein.
To prevent what some have perceived as a chilling effect on public participation, the board voted 5-1 to end its practice of opening the public comment portion of meetings with a warning that those airing grievances could face lawsuits for libel or defamation. There have been other issues with why people coming to the microphone felt they could not do so at times, but nothing like this is read in other districts, Holstein said. Everyone has a First Amendment right to come to that microphone and speak about any agenda item or item of concern pertaining to their school district. Your First Amendment right is exactly that.