West Fargo Schools Don't Livestream or Record Board Meetings

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West Fargo Public Schools, the second largest school district in North Dakota, does not livestream or record video of its School Board meetings. When asked about this policy, the district's Director of Health, Safety and Public Relations said North Dakota law allows residents to request recordings of the meetings, which has been done eight times since the law went into effect in the 2023-2024 school year.

Why it matters

The lack of livestreaming or recording of school board meetings has raised concerns about transparency and public access, especially in an era where many districts across the country are making these options available to engage the community. The North Dakota law aims to balance privacy and accessibility, but the low usage of the recording request option suggests more could be done to improve public participation.

The details

According to the district, the audio recordings of the eight meetings that have been requested since the 2023-2024 school year have been played an average of 45 times. The district says this shows there is limited public interest in accessing the recordings, though advocates argue the low usage could be due to lack of awareness about the request process.

• The North Dakota law allowing residents to request recordings of school board meetings went into effect during the 2023-2024 school year.