Fair Lawn School Board Considering Online Meeting Broadcasts

The Fair Lawn Board of Education is seeking more information about potentially broadcasting videos of their meetings online.

During a discussion on the issue at their last meeting, school board members questioned what would be needed for a broadcast and how much it would cost, so Superintendent Bruce Watson was tasked with investigating the different options. He is expected to report his findings to the board during an October meeting.

In a meta twist, that discussion was already streamed live on the website Ustream, according to borough resident Vinko Grskovic.

Grskovic, who is one of six candidates for the school board this year and previously ran for state assembly on the Libertarian Party ticket, brought a camera to the meeting after he heard a recording of a previous meeting when the video issue was discussed, he said.

Board members who previously voiced opposition to broadcasting meetings said they were concerned videos on TV or the Internet could lead to grandstanding.

Grskovic said he hoped to get more people informed of the board's activities, an opinion shared by several members who have been proponents of broadcasts.

Fair Lawn Board of Education policy only allows people to record meetings if they give advance notice to the board secretary, though Grskovic apparently did not do that and arrived late to the meeting. Board members took a vote during the meeting to allow him to continue.

Grskovic told Patch he wasn't sure how many people had watched the stream because he hadn't advertised it in advance, but he planned to post the video online somewhere.

In an effort to increase transparency, the board voted during the same meeting to post their agendas online the day before their meetings. The motion passed unanimously.

Fair Lawn Schools open Monday.