What a difference 30 years can make

The article to the right appeared on the front page of the June 24, 1993, Independent Record.

Now, 30 years later, Hot Springs County School Board meetings are being videoed and can be viewed live or afterward by anyone who has the time and wants to watch them.

Part of the reason the 1993 school board voted to limit use of video cameras during board meetings was because “the policy encourages members of the public and the board to talk without being worried about how they will look on videotape.”

In 2023, many argue that people should be aware of how their words, actions and facial expressions affect others, thus making videoing school board meetings or other open, public meetings popular. It also helps hold people accountable for what they say and do during those meetings.

In 1993, people did not pack around cell phones with photo/video capability. In 2023, its hard to find someone over the age of ten that does not pack around a cell phone with those capabilities.

The current HSCSD board recently approved a policy that does not allow recording of private conversations within school district buildings, without the knowledge of and consent of all parties involved.

What a difference 30 years makes? Or does it? Are boards adjusting policies according to stay current with the times? Or for other reasons?

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