COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – In Columbia, lawmakers are making headway on a bill that would make school board meetings more accessible to the public.
Advocates claim this move will enhance transparency. The bipartisan legislation will mandate that all public and charter schools in South Carolina document their school board meetings and make the recordings available online within two business days after the meeting.
“This should be a standard practice, and we require clear provisions for live streaming to ensure that parents and community members can review meetings later,” stated Felicity Ropp from the Palmetto Promise Institute.
The bill would task the state board of education with developing a model policy, which each school district would need to adopt. The model policy must then receive approval from both the district’s superintendent and the state board of education.
The recording cannot impact the public’s request for in-person attendance.
“This meeting isn’t being live streamed. Why not? Because it’s not required. So that makes it difficult for somebody like me who’s in the community,” said Debbie Heim, Lexington County resident.
The bill was passed in the senate unanimously and will be debated on the house floor Tuesday.
In the committee meeting last week, Ropp testified the bill should not include an added cost.
“As long as you have a camera on your cell phone, you should be good to go. In 2025, it’s not a huge ask for school districts, and it should be common sense,” Ropp said.
Heim added it’s crucial for lawmakers to record every meeting for South Carolinians, and it should be the same for schools.
“The purpose of FOIA is to prevent secret government activity and asking school districts not to stream their meetings or not making a requirement that all meetings subject to FOIA,” said Hopp.
If schools do not follow the policy, penalties could include taking away one percent of their state funds.
If passed, the one exception is a lawful executive school board session.
