Oh, say, can you hear?

At each Richland 2 school board meeting I wonder just how many people can really hear everything that is said. If you have attended in-person, have you heard everything?

I distinctly remember the first meeting at which I actually heard a speaker who was addressing the Board from the podium. A man from the South Carolina Education Association was there to present a proclamation to the Board. He spoke up. I mean, loudly and clearly, so that he could be heard throughout the room. I wanted to stand up and applaud him!

Are you hard of hearing? Do you know that hearing-assistance devices are available at meetings? No, I didn't know that, either. All you have to do is ask. Ask at the front right of the room (from the audience's view) before the meeting starts.

I'll admit to some degree of hearing loss. After all, these ears have been listening for 80 years. But they are not worn out. When people speak clearly in conversational tones, I don't have any trouble hearing.

If the Board members spoke up, firmly and clearly and actually into the microphones, they could be heard.

I know this is true, because at the March 12th meeting, Teresa Holmes spoke right into her microphone, as she defended herself against remarks I had made during the Public Participation segment of the meeting. You can hear her comments near the end of the March 12, 2019, video recording of the meeting on YouTube.