Bellingham School Board is being pressed to start live-streaming its meetings
A recently launched Change.org petition is collecting signatures to urge the Bellingham School Board to make changes to the way it distributes its public meetings.
The petition, launched by Kelly Haugsven, is titled “Make Bellingham School Board Meetings Accessible to Everyone.” It asks that the school board make four changes:
- Video record and livestream all regular board meetings.
- Publish video recordings online.
- Include captions and transcripts whenever possible.
- Keep video recordings publicly accessible in an online archive.
“Providing livestreamed and archived video recordings will modernize accessibility and increase community engagement. This will allow more families and community members to stay informed about decisions affecting our public school system,” the petition states.
The petition listed a goal of 200 signatures, with 147 recorded as of Wednesday afternoon. It argues that the Bellingham Public School District has the technology to support the changes, which a number of other Washington school districts have already enacted.
“Requiring people to attend meetings in person creates barriers for many members of our community, including those with mobility or transportation limitations, people with visual or hearing impairments, single parents, and those who work evening or night shifts. Public access should not depend on someone’s schedule, physical ability, or transportation options,” the petition states.
Bellingham Public Schools Communications Director Jacqueline Brawley told The Bellingham Herald the district is aware of the petition and appreciates its advocacy. As required by state law, the district already records audio from its regular board meetings, and recordings are available upon request, “usually within 24 hours,” Brawley said.
“Unrelated to this petition, we are planning to make a public archive of audio recordings available on our website starting at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year in September 2026. We will continue to review our practices for board meetings and make adjustments as needed,” Brawley told The Herald.
The Ferndale School Board livestreams and records video of its board meetings. A public archive of those meetings is available going back to 2022. Lynden and Blaine school boards record audio from their meetings and also make them available in a public archive.
The two largest local government agencies — the Bellingham City Council and the Whatcom County Council — hold all their meetings in what they call a “hybrid format.” That means all their proceedings, including committee meetings, are held in person with a livestream option available for those who cannot attend.
Viewers can register in advance to watch the meeting online and participate in public hearings and open public comment sessions.
City of Bellingham spokeswoman Kelsey Thomas told The Herald that the city is able to offer livestreaming and archived recordings in part because its receives Public, Education and Government Access TV funds from cable franchise fees. That money helps cover the technical and staffing costs of streaming meetings and maintaining a video archive.
“We know there are many reasons community members may not be able to attend City Council meetings in person. Providing virtual access is one way we help make it easier for people to participate in civic life and stay informed about decisions that affect them,” Thomas said in an email. “Offering multiple ways for people to follow local government supports transparency and helps ensure that community members can engage with council business, as well as other community meetings and programming, in a way that works for them.”
In addition, Bellingham has a YouTube channel called BTV Live that broadcasts City Council meetings and committee meetings.
All Bellingham City Council and Whatcom County Council meetings, committee sessions and public comment periods are archived going back a decade or more. Only select meetings of the two councils’ appointed advisory boards have a hybrid option and are archived for later viewing.
City councils in other Whatcom County communities such as Ferndale and Blaine also have hybrid meetings and online archives of their meetings.
Only the smallest Whatcom County communities such as Everson, Lynden and Sumas have no hybrid option and offer only written minutes of their proceedings for the historical record. Nooksack has a hybrid option but no recorded archive.
