Listening Post

Your input is important to us. If you have a concern or want to give feedback regarding your child, a school-related issue or a district-related issue, please review our “who to contact” webpage and follow up with the appropriate person either via phone, email and/or request an in-person meeting.

When someone sends an electronic Listening Post message, it goes to all school board members, as well as the superintendent. You can generally expect a response from the secretary to the board/superintendent acknowledging that all board members and the superintendent have received your message. Depending on the nature of your comment, additional information may be shared or we may direct you to someone who can be of immediate assistance. 

The public may send messages to the board, however, board members will customarily defer to the superintendent, per the school board’s policy governance model.

Individual board email addresses are not listed on our website to encourage the use of the Listening Post so all board members and the superintendent uniformly and simultaneously receive comments or concerns from the public. If you prefer email, the board and superintendent have this group email address: board@bellinghamschools.org. Emails and submissions to the Listening Post are subject to public disclosure per policy 4040 and RCW 42.56.

School board members must follow open public meetings laws that require public business to be discussed in properly-noticed public meetings. While the board encourages the public to share information with all board members, they generally will not engage in a group discussion of that information via email, because email discussions among a majority of the board can unintentionally violate open meeting laws by creating the appearance of a private meeting. Open meeting requirements exist to protect transparency by ensuring important conversations, deliberations and decisions occur in public view rather than behind the scenes. Our board pays close attention to them both in person and online.

School Board Listening Post