For years, the only way to see what happens at meetings of the city school board, known as the Panel for Educational Policy, has been to be there in person.
That changes tonight. The panel meeting at the Prospect Heights Educational Complex is being streamed online, in accordance with a new City Council law that went into effect at the beginning of the month.
That means New Yorkers (who register online) will be able to watch Chancellor Carmen Fariña address the panel; see the panel discuss school space changes, the capital plan, and contracts; and hear public comments from the comfort of their own homes. They won’t be able to add their own comments to the public record, though, unless they make the trek to the meeting itself.
The new transparency comes with a warning. “Please be aware that if you choose to attend this meeting, your image or voice, or the image or voice of your child, may appear in the live-stream footage, or in the recording that will be posted to the Panel website,” the Department of Education is now cautioning people who attend PEP meetings in person.