It seems the school issues in Lyle just won’t go away.

Despite board members claiming business as usual, there are still residents who are dissatisfied with several Lyle Public School board decisions.

At issue is the board’s recent open meeting policy which states people must sign up 10 days in advance to speak to the school board on an issue, so district staff have enough time to put the delegation on the agenda. State meeting laws require every governmental body to post meeting agendas three days in advance.

Once someone registers, Lyle’s superintendent would decide how much time they will have to speak. The amount of time will depend on how important the issue is, Lyle board chairman Dean Rohne said in May. Any written materials or research a person wants the school board to read must be submitted beforehand when they register, according to the proposal. Finally, the board would not decide on matters the public comments about at the same meeting they hear from delegations, in order to let the board research issues and come to a more informed decision, Rohne said.

Some residents haven’t responded well to the new rules, with some residents protesting the new rules at school board meetings since May. A delegation at Lyle’s next school meeting wants to speak with the board about school communication.

Also at issue is the way the district handled the resignation of former superintendent Jerry Reshetar. While Reshetar resigned amicably, the board appointed Lyle High School Principal James Dusso as superintendent until the 2012 school year, when a superintendent for the Lyle, Grand Meadow and Glenville/Emmons consortium will be appointed. Some claim the board made the decision too quickly without considering other candidates.

Rohne feels the board is settling down and that there’s not really a controversy to speak of.

“The board’s doing what the board needs to do,” Rohne said. “Everything’s kind of getting taken care of. There’s no news there to be honest.”

Residents are aware of the issue, but many see no reason to talk about it. Some people still remember Reshetar’s term as superintendent.

“Jerry Reshetar was a great guy,” said one woman at the Lyle American Legion Friday. “My kids had him in St. Ansgar and they loved him.”

Many others either don’t pay attention to the board or have no opinion one way or another about it.

“You’re going to get two sides to everything,” said Mary Witt, a Lyle resident. “There’s positives and negatives, just like everything else.”

Yet there are people who aren’t satisfied with the board’s recent communication policy.

“They should listen to what the people of the town have concerns about,” said Jesse Burma, a Lyle resident who doesn’t want to create controversy but can’t see the purpose of the board’s policy.

“That’s the point of having a board, is listening to peoples’ concerns,” he added.

Giving 10 days notice to speak at a public meeting may seem odd, a 10-day notice policy isn’t that uncommon, according to Minnesota School Board Association officials.

“There’s a big perception out there that people can come out there and say what they want,” said Greg Abbott, director of communications with the MSBA in May.

Many school boards create policies to give a notice before speaking since some people may forget rules or not understand that talking about a specific person or situation could be construed as slander.

There is no rule in state open meeting laws that says a person has a right to publicly comment on an issue, according to Abbott.

“It is a courtesy that the board offers that, it’s not a person’s right,” Abbott said.

The Lyle Public School Board will have its next meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at Lyle High School.