Minutes 10-03-2022 Business Meeting

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12 direction to the County Attorney for revisions to be brought back to the Board for future consideration. At the June 2, 2022 work session, the Board determined to move forward with an ordinance prohibiting picketing on School Property. At the June 21, 2022, Business meeting the Board determined the ordinance would be brought back at its meeting in October. The agenda materials for each prior discussion may be viewed at the links above. Pursuant to the Board's prior discussions and input, the County Attorney revised the draft ordinance which generally provides as follows: • Only covers Picketing conducted on, or within a yet-to-be-determined number of linear feet of, School Property and Public Playgrounds including on any public right of way within that distance; Recent changes to North Carolina law provide that when a local ordinance involves a potential criminal penalty, the ordinance may not be adopted at the meeting at which it is first introduced. Such an ordinance may only be adopted at the next regular meeting following its introduction. Because one potential penalty of this ordinance is trespass, which is a statutory misdemeanor, this ordinance may only be adopted at its second reading. Due to the multiple substantive revisions requested by the Board at prior meetings, the County Attorney recommended this item be reconsidered at a new first reading. If, at this first reading, the Board determines to move forward with this ordinance, the second reading will occur at the Board's October 18, 2022 Business meeting. John Roberts reviewed the background information for the item. He said one of the items left open at the last meeting was the buffer area from the schools. He said he suggests a 50 ft. buffer from entrances to the school property. He said that would accomplish the goal of keeping it away from students. He said the Board also should discuss the limit on the number of people and he would suggest adding language along the lines of"this ordinance does not apply to those that have appointments with teachers or staff." He said he has clarified at previous meeting that all rights within the Bill of Rights are subject to reasonable restrictions; even speech. He said that protests and demonstrations are not currently allowed and that this ordinance would simply extend that to the entrances and into the public right of way. He said this would not do anything the school board cannot currently do except extend it into the public right of way. Monique Felder, Superintendent of Orange County Schools, addressed the Board. She said that Orange County Schools teachers, students, and staff had an up close encounter with those expressing their First Amendment rights. She said that they support the First Amendment and those expressing their rights but hold exception to those that are doing so in very close proximity to students and staff. She said specifically, those that are in the NCDOT right of way. She said that after the traumatic event last fall at their school, the school board and she received a lot of feedback from students and staff. She read comments they received after the protest at Orange County Schools last fall: "I felt afraid. Afraid for you, for me, our students and our staff. I want to comfort my students and reassure them that I will be able to care for them. After this experience, I am not able to offer my students that reassurance for their safety. I cannot believe they were allowed to be so close to our school, even with a non-violent protest. Knowing that they are easily able to access our campus without repercussions makes me fearful of school-related violence. I personally felt very unsafe. I would just like to say that the protesters made me feel very unsafe at school. I was worried that something might happen where 1, or other people, would be injured. I felt threatened by their gathering,