Journal, KRQE, KOB no show policy committee meeting - KOAT stands in corner

The APS School Board Policy Committee just met.  Among other things, they voted unanimously to approve their new procedural directive on public participation in school board meetings.

Within it, the following rules on media etiquette at school board meetings;

Media Etiquette

Members of the media are welcome at public meetings of the Board of Education. Members of the media and media equipment shall be required to video and photograph from a designated media representative area of the room in which the Board of Education Meeting is being held.

Media representatives shall cooperate with district staff regarding placement of equipment, photography and video requirements or be subject to removal from the meeting.

I didn't recognize anyone from the Journal covering the meeting.  KOAT had the only camera. 
APS had a tech there who could have been running at least one camera but did not.

Armenta giving the leadership of
APS' Praetorian Guard, orders to
bounce me.  I won't stand in the
corner for her.

As soon as KOAT got in the room, APS Executive Director of Communications Monica Armenta was on him in a flash.

Though I knew what she was telling him; I couldn't hear what she was saying, so I asked a few questions on my way out.

Not only had Armenta told KOAT to go stand in the corner, she told them they couldn't put a microphone on the table to record the audio.

The press, and in fact any "person desiring" has the right to photograph, film or record from anywhere in the room, in the absence of any good and ethical reason at all that they should not.

Marty Esquivel and APS' lawyers might actually prevail in litigation over this point.  Not because there is justice, but because they have an unlimited budget for litigation and spend it without any real oversight.  They're spending a million dollars in federal court right now, defending Marty Esquivel and Kathy Korte's egos.

I was impressed with Board
Member Don Duran's input.

He made far and away the
best points in most discussions.

KOAT has a great close up shot
of the back of his head.

If Bralley had been in the corner, the only photo he could have taken of the media being bullied by the leadership of the APS, would have been a close up of that guy's ear.

KOAT has no tape whatsoever of any board member that shows more than one of their eyeballs; two are flat out looking in the other direction.

APS Legislative Liaison and Policy Analyst Carrie Robin Brunder stopped her presentation at one point, to praise KOAT for setting such a good example of staying in the corner like they're supposed to.

Korte moments after attacking photojournalist
Mark Bralley because he wasn't standing in the
corner, like any "good" photographer would.

Board Member Kathy Korte needed to make sure that the language was amended to include everybody using any device, period.

Want to use your flip phone?
Go stand in the corner.

Never mind that your view now no longer includes anyone's face.

School Board Member Marty Esquivel arrived to the show late* and in his slippers.

When the discussion of public participation in school board meetings was next on the agenda, he caught my eye and he mad dogged me for awhile.

As usual, Policy Committee Chair Peercy allowed no public input; the motion passed unanimously.

Even Esquivel voted for it.  That's only remarkable because, if you watch closely, you'll see his lips don't move when unanimous votes are taken.  Too much trouble to vote, I guess.

There was no public forum this afternoon, but there will be a public forum at the next regular meeting, right before they ram the policy through in a consent calendar.

*I (indirectly) asked the School Board's Executive Director Brenda Yager, for school board member's meeting tardy and attendance records.  I had not made a records request, I had simply made a request for some records.  She told me;

In order to be as responsive as possible regarding the information you are seeking, including ensuring that the information covers the relevant time period, please send an Inspection of Public Records request to Rigo Chavez.

adding up to fifteen days to the process.

APS Director of Communications and Public Records Custodian Rigo Chavez answered;

I have asked Brenda Yager of the APS Board of Education Office for documents related to this request and will let you know within the 15 days allowed* by the Act of any documents located.

See what I mean?

"Allowed" being the operative word. You would be surprised,
and deeply disappointed by what the law "allows" them to do and not do.





photos Mark Bralley
Armenta and the APS thumb ched macquigg