BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- Massena Central School District board of education members will not yet be able to attend meetings remotely after the policy committee opted to leave the policy as it stands while removing language that would have allowed remote attendance for board members.

Officials had previously debated the merits of the policy during the January board meeting, opting to table the idea until further questions could be asked at the next policy committee meeting.

Following that meeting, the policy committee decided to remove the option and maintain the existing policy, according to Policy Committee Chair Jodele Hammock.

Hammock told board members that the committee did consider multiple factors regarding the policy, including what the board would do in the event of a natural disaster or state of emergency. In those cases, the board would follow state guidelines that would allow board members to remotely attend the meetings.

But one concern was the "trickiness of technology" and the event that it might fail or a bad connection could interrupt the meeting. Hammock said those factors along with the possibility of having to wait for someone to connect or reconnect for a meeting would not be conducive to a meeting running as smoothly as possible.

Board President Paul Haggett voiced opposition to that stance, saying New York State open meeting law allows for remotely attending meetings.

“I have a concern or two. First of all, I think it’s a mistake to not allow our board the flexibility of having a video conferencing option simply because the technology exists and we’ve used it successfully during COVID,” he said.

While Haggett did admit glitches might happen, he was steadfast in his position and said that the board has proven they are capable of using the technology in non-COVID situations as well.

"“The open meetings law allows us to operate in this way, and I think it allows fuller participation in board of education business from members of the board who might not necessarily be in town when a meeting is taking place," he said.

Haggett also spoke to the New York State School Boards Association's efforts to "liberalize video conferencing rules" that would eliminate some of the more "onerous" ones that would include having to report where the individual is video conferencing from.

Haggett also touched on the impact family life can have on board members, saying that visiting family members out of town would force a board member to attend a meeting remotely or skip that meeting altogether.

"I would prefer to have the opportunity to video conference and participate in that meeting," he said.

If the policy were left unchanged, no members would be afforded that opportunity, he said.

Board Member Robert LeBlanc, who also opposed the move to not allow remote participation, said video meetings are helpful for meetings that may only last 15 to 20 minutes.

“I don’t think video conferencing and use of Zoom or whatever platform is going anywhere,” Haggett said.

Haggett and LeBlanc both spoke to the flexibility that the platform provides and how it enables full participation even in the event of an emergency.

Though Haggett, LeBlanc and Board Member Susan Lambert were in favor of the policy, Board Vice President Kevin Perretta was not.

Perretta spoke to his belief that the board has a responsibility to the public to attend in person.

"If you can’t be present, so be it. We’re a nine-member board, we can still function. Most of our meetings are scheduled well in advance, they’re not last minute. So, if someone chooses to go on vacation, that’s a personal choice that’s made,” he said.

Parretta also touched on the complicated and convoluted language that state put forward to regulate the use of remote attendance by board members.

"There was a whole set of rules we chose not to pursue. It would take a Philadelphia lawyer to figure out whether we were compliant or not," Parretta said.

Despite his opposition to the policy, Perretta did say that he wouldn't fault anyone for their decisions.

"I’m not quite retired yet but I consider myself old and I’d rather see someone face-to-face than over a screen,” he said.

Perretta said he was not a fan of meeting via Zoom during the pandemic, saying it may have been convenient but not necessarily the most effective way to meet.

"I don't deny for a minute that the most effective way for us to operate as a board is to have in person meetings. We need to be sitting here and doing exactly what we're doing right now, discussing issues," Haggett agreed.

Another point of contention Perretta brought up was the possibility of excluding someone who may wish to participate in a meeting, saying not everyone has the technology necessary to do so.

“Maybe we’re excluding someone by doing it via this technological way because they don’t have the ability to come to the meeting, don’t have access to technology any more,” he said.

Haggett touched on that point, saying that anyone who may wish to participate can still do so in person at the physical meeting location, they just wouldn't see all nine faces in person if some members were attending remotely.

"This is meant to be a convenience to the public, that's why we do it," Haggett said.

Changes can still be made however, as a second reading of the policy may likely come up in a future board meeting. The policy committee will have time to make any changes prior to the next board meeting, which would then allow board members to once again vote on the updated policy.