New York’s virtual public meetings requirement expired last week.
Many school boards, county legislatures and city councils have long since moved to in-person meetings. But some governing bodies, like Ithaca’s school board, are pledging to continue hybrid public meetings.
Some Ithaca residents who came to testify at a school board meeting last week say not all parents are able to come to the meetings in person. They say that cuts them out of the decision making process.
School board members, like Moira Lang, largely agreed.
"Maybe a silver lining of what we've had to do during COVID has revealed that hybrid meetings offer an opportunity for much greater public participation," Lang said.
Ithaca’s school board will require board members to show up in person. But any members of the public who wish to attend may continue to do so virtually.
The board says people will also be able to make public comments virtually, though that hasn’t always been the case in recent weeks.