8500 Board of Education Meetings
Adoption Date: 01/23/1964 Revised: 03/24/2022, 03/21/2019, 03/18/2010, 01/5/2006, 11/2007, 01/05/2006, 10/07/2004, 09/14/1995, 03/08/1979, 02/13/1975, 11/13/1975, 07/04/1967
8000 - Internal Board Policies
Board of Education Meetings
8500 Board of Education Meetings
Board meetings shall be open to the public and conducted in accordance with Article 7 of the Public Officers Law, known as the “Open Meetings Law,” and other applicable statutes.
Regular Meetings
The Board of Education shall meet at least one time each month for the purpose of conducting the business of the District. The dates and times of the regular monthly meetings will be established at the annual organizational meeting, but subject to change by the Board of Education, as necessary.
Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Board of Education may be called on at least 24 hours’ notice to all Board members at the direction of the Board President or upon the request of any Board member.
Notice of Meetings
Notice of meetings scheduled at least one week in advance shall be given or electronically submitted to all members of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Schools and news media, as well as conspicuously posted in one or more designated public places and on the District website at least 72 hours prior to the meeting. When meetings are scheduled less than one week in advance, the Board of Education shall provide public notice to the extent practicable.
If a Board member intends to participate in a Board Meeting by videoconference, the public notice of the meeting will indicate that videoconferencing will be used, specify the location(s) for the meeting and state that the public may attend at any of the locations.
Agenda Setting
The Superintendent, in consultation with the Board President, will prepare the agenda for each Board meeting with the assistance of the Clerk of the Board. The Clerk of the Board shall thereafter prepare the agenda document and other materials necessary for Board meetings. The order of business will be constructed to help the Board of Education accomplish its business expeditiously.
Any member of the Board of Education may propose items of business for inclusion on the agenda to the Board President. The full Board of Education will vote upon adding any such item to the agenda.
Posting of Materials to be discussed at the Meeting
To the extent practicable and in accordance with 103(e) of the Public Officers Law, materials, resolutions, motions, and policies and amendments thereto, to be discussed at Board meetings will be available at least 24 hours in advance of a meeting, upon request, and on the District’s website.
Quorum and Voting
The agenda and supporting materials, including the minutes of the previous meeting or meetings, will be distributed to Board members during the week preceding the meeting.
A majority of the members of the Board of Education shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at a Board meeting. If a quorum is not present within 20 minutes of the time set for a Board meeting, the meeting will be rescheduled. Notice of the rescheduled meeting will be given to all members of the Board of Education, the public and news media to the extent practicable, depending upon the date to which the meeting is rescheduled.
The Board of Education shall take action by voting upon resolutions presented by one Board member and seconded by another. A majority vote of the full Board of Education is required to adopt a resolution, except in circumstances when a super-majority vote is required:
- discontinuing a designated textbook within five years of adoption requires a three-quarters (3/4) vote of the Board of Education;
- if a relative, by blood or marriage, of a Board member is employed in a pedagogical position or appointed to tenure, a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Education is required;
- standardization on a particular type of equipment or supplies must be determined to be in the best interests of the District by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Education;
- a vote to place a proposition before the voters for an object or purpose for which bonds may be issued requires a three-fifths (3/5) vote of the Board of
All actions requiring a vote can be conducted by voice, show of hands or roll call. The vote of each Board member shall be recorded on each action of the Board of Education.
Rules of Order
The presiding officer is responsible for the orderly conduct of Board meetings, but each Board member is responsible for their own conduct.
The Board of Education shall use Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, as a guideline for conducting meetings of the Board of Education, except when such provisions are inconsistent with law or policy, or are suspended by majority vote of the Board of Education. The Board of Education may, at its discretion, waive Robert’s Rules and substitute its own procedures by a majority vote of the Board of Education.
Public Comment
Board of Education meeting are meetings conducted in public, not public meetings. The public is welcome to attend Board meetings and observe the work of the Board. Because the Board desires to hear the viewpoints of citizens throughout the District, as well as conduct its business in an orderly and efficient manner, it will schedule a maximum 30-minute period prior to Board action on items on the agenda at regular business meetings for brief comments from the public on agenda items scheduled for a Board vote at that meeting and other District related issues. The public comment portion of the meeting may be extended for up to an additional 30 minutes at the discretion of the Board President. There will be one maximum 15-minute public comment period at Workshop Meetings and Special Meetings where there are action items on the agenda, but only on such agenda items. The Board of Education shall limit each individual speaker to three minutes duration, but the time may be reduced if a large number of people wish to address the Board. In these instances, the number of speakers will be divided into the time limit for public comment, and each speaker will receive an equal share of time for public comment. Speakers may not give unused time to other speakers. The Board President may extend or limit the public comment portion of the meeting.
Persons wishing to address the Board shall advise the District Clerk by 12:00 noon of the day of the meeting. The request shall be made in writing on a form provided by the District online and at the District Office, and will include the name of the speaker, the address, their preferred contact information, and the name of organization represented (if any). Any group or organization wishing to address the Board must identify a single spokesperson. To ensure that comments may be properly discussed in public session, the Board will request a brief description of the subject to be addressed.
District residents, parents/guardians, students, staff, employees and other stakeholders may comment on matters of public interest involving school operations and programs, but may not criticize or personally attack any person connected with the District. No District employee or student may be commented upon or identified by name or situation. Complaints concerning school personnel, students and school matters should be made in accordance with Policy 1310 and its implementing regulation.
The Board President will be responsible for recognizing all speakers, for maintaining proper order; and for adhering to any time limits set. The Board President may limit the number of repetitive comments to keep within the time limit for the public comment period. All speakers must address their comments to the Board.
All speakers and observers must conduct themselves in a respectful and courteous manner, and abide by the rules for Public Conduct on School District Property set forth in the District’s Code of Conduct. Obscene language, defamatory statements, threats of violence, statements advocating racial, religious or forms of prejudice will not be permitted. Questions asked by the public will be referred to the appropriate staff member for reply. Questions requiring investigations will be referred to the Superintendent for consideration and later response. Questions will generally not be answered at Board meetings; however, the Board may correct comments that are not accurate.
At Board meetings, all speakers and observers may not engage in behavior that disrupts the meeting, such as shouting, interrupting others, blocking the free movement of others, or obstructing the view of others. In the event of a disruption, the President will remind those in attendance of the rules, may briefly recess the meeting, or order removal of those who are a threat to the safety of others or who disrupt the orderly conduct of the meeting. If appropriate, law enforcement may be called to remove disruptive individuals.
Members of the public will not be recognized by the President as the Board conducts its official business, unless the Board of Education agrees to waive this provision.
Minutes
Minutes will be taken by the District Clerk (or Clerk Pro-Tem) at all Board meetings in accordance with the Open Meetings Law. All motions, resolutions and any other matters formally voted upon by the Board of Education shall be recorded in the minutes, including the final vote of each Board member.
Policy
Cross-Ref.Policy 1120 – Public Participation at Board of Education Meetings; Policy 1310 - Complaints Concerning School Personnel, Student Issues and School Matters
History: Adopted January 23, 1964 (as Bylaw 9369.1); revised February 13, 1975, November 13, 1975 (as Bylaw 9361); revised March 8, 1979, 1952 (as Bylaw 9361.1); revised 1954, 1964, July 5, 1967, February 13, 1975, March 8, 1979, September 14, 1995, 1952 (as Bylaw 9361.2); revised July 10, 1962, February 13, 1975, March 8, 1979, September 14, 1995, February 13, 1975 (as Bylaw 9368.2); revised March 8, 1979