Board of Education Washington County School District – Approved 8-15-2006
Local school boards are created by the State legislature under authority granted in Article X of the Utah Constitution. Directly accountable to the people, local school boards are the educational policymakers for the public schools in local communities and may serve as the final appeal body in school administrative matters. The Board of Education of the Washington County School District is a representative body elected by the citizens of Washington County to provide for and oversee the operation of public schools in Washington County. This policy is established to outline, generally, the method under which the Board conducts meetings.
2.1. "Meeting" means the convening of the Board with a quorum present, whether in person for the purpose of discussing or acting upon a matter over which the Board has jurisdiction, including a workshop or executive session. A "meeting" does not include a chance meeting or meetings where no funds are appropriated for expenditure, and Board Members are convened solely to discuss administrative or operational matters which do not require formal action. Every meeting of the Board shall be open to the public unless closed pursuant to Utah Code Ann 52-4-204, 205, and 206. A Quorum is a majority of the members of the Board present.
2.2. Time and Place of Board Meetings.
2.2.1. Regular meetings of
the Board shall be held in the Board room of the administration building on the
second Tuesday of each calendar month at 2:30 p.m. or as otherwise scheduled by
the Board.
2.2.2. Other meetings of the Board shall be held at the time and location
stated in the public notice of the meeting, subject to the location
requirements for workshops or executive sessions set out in 2.3.3 below.
2.2.3. When the Board holds a workshop or executive session on the same
day as a regularly scheduled Board meeting, the workshop or executive session
will be held at the same location as the regularly scheduled Board meeting
unless:
2.2.3.1. The
regularly scheduled meeting is not being in the Board room and the workshop or
executive session is held in the Board room; or
2.2.3.2. One of the meetings is a site visit or traveling
tour for which appropriate public notice has been given; or
2.2.3.3. Because of emergency or extraordinary circumstances,
it is not practicable to hold the workshop or executive session at the same
location as the regularly scheduled Board meeting.
2.3. Open and Closed Board Meetings.
2.3.1. All Board meetings,
including executive sessions and workshops where a quorum is present, are open
to the public unless the Board votes at a public meeting by two-thirds
affirmative vote of the members present to hold a closed meeting (provided a
quorum is present to vote).
2.3.2. The Board may only close a meeting for the following purposes:
2.3.2.1.
Discussion of the character, professional competence, or physical or mental
health of an individual;
2.3.2.2. Strategy sessions with respect to collective
bargaining or pending or imminent litigation;
2.3.2.3. Strategy sessions with respect to the purchase,
exchange, or lease of real property if public discussion may disclose the
appraised or estimated value of the property or tend to prevent the Board from
obtaining the best possible terms;
2.3.2.4. Strategy sessions with respect to the sale of real
property if public discussion may disclose the appraised or estimated value of
the property or tend to prevent the Board from obtaining the best possible
terms, but only if the Board previously gave public notice that the property
would be offered for sale, and the terms of the sale are publicly disclosed
before the Board approves the sale;
2.3.2.5. Discussion
regarding deployment of security personnel, devices, or systems; or
2.3.2.6. Investigative proceedings regarding allegations of
criminal misconduct.
2.3.3. If the meeting is
closed for any reason stated in paragraph 1 or 5 of section 2.3.2 above, then
the presiding Board Member must sign a sworn statement affirming that the sole
purpose of closing the meeting was to discuss those specific topics, and
neither a recording nor minutes shall be kept of that portion of the closed
meeting.
2.4. Notice and Agenda of Meetings
2.4.1. Public Notice of
Board Meetings.
2.4.1.1. Annual
notice. At least once each year, the Board shall give public notice of
its regular meeting schedule. The notice shall specify the date, time and
place of such meetings.
2.4.1.2. Individual meeting notice. In addition to the annual
notice, the Board shall also provide public notice of each meeting at least 24
hours in advance of that meeting, which notice shall include the agenda, date,
time and place of the meeting.
2.4.1.3. Publication of notice.
2.4.1.3.1. Written notice
shall be posted at the Board of Education
office.
2.4.1.3.2. Notice of the meeting shall also be published in at least one
newspaper of general circulation within Washington County.
2.4.1.3.3. The District shall also endeavor to post notice of Board
meetings on the DistrictÕs web site at least 24 hours in advance of the
meeting.
2.4.2. Meeting Agenda.
2.4.2.1. Contents of
agenda. The public notice of a specific Board meeting shall include an
agenda for that meeting, which shall be sufficiently specific to notify the
public of the topics to be considered at the Board meeting and which shall list
each topic under an agenda item.
2.4.2.2. Agenda prepared and provided to Board Members. The
Superintendent, in cooperation with the Board president, shall prepare an
agenda for each meeting and have it electronically ready, with supporting
information, for each Board Member so that he/she will have this material at
least 48 hours prior to each regular or special meeting.
2.4.2.3. Meeting action limited to agenda items. The Board may not
consider a topic in an open meeting that was not listed under an agenda item
and included with the advance public notice of the meeting. If an
unlisted topic is raised during an open meeting, the Board may discuss the
topic but may not take any final action on that topic during the meeting.
2.4.3. Notice of emergency meetings. In case of emergency or urgent public necessity that renders it impractical to give the notice set forth in 2.5.1 and 2.5.2, the best notice practicable shall be given. No such emergency meeting of the Board shall be held unless an attempt has been made to notify all Board Members and a majority of the members vote in the affirmative to hold the meeting.
2.5. Adoption and Amendment of Policies - Approved 8-79
(Revised 5-19-88)
2.5.1 Policy proposals and
suggested amendments to, or revisions of existing policies, shall be submitted
in writing to all members of the Board and to the Superintendent prior to a
regularly scheduled Board Meeting in which such proposed policies, amendments,
or revisions shall be read and discussed. A vote for adoption shall take place
at the next succeeding regular meeting of the Board. Action shall be by
majority vote of those present.
2.5.2 Development of all such proposals for new or amended policies prior to
their submission to the Board for action, shall include to the fullest extent
possible, deliberative discussions with all persons to be affected, or their
representatives. The Superintendent shall consult with the Association
President when making assignments of teachers to District-wide committees.
(Neg. 7-11-94) (Reference: Robert's Rules of Order, 1970, Chapter 18). If
qualified employee organizations believe that they need additional opportunity
for information or discussion then they are being provided, the president of
the organization should contact the District Superintendent (Neg. 05/19/88)
2.6. Recordings and Minutes of Meetings
2.6.1. Open meetings.
2.6.1.1. Written minutes and
a recording shall be kept of all open meetings except site visits or traveling
tours where no vote or action is taken by the Board, of which either written
minutes or a recording shall be kept.
2.6.1.2. Such recording and minutes shall include:
2.6.1.2.1. The
date, time, and place of the meeting;
2.6.1.2.2. The names of the members present and absent;
2.6.1.2.3. The substance of all matters proposed, discussed,
or decided, and a record, by individual member, of votes taken;
2.6.1.2.4. The names of all citizens who appeared and a brief
summary of their testimony;
2.6.1.2.5. Any other information that any member requests be
entered in the minutes or recording.
2.6.1.3. Where the Board
votes at an open meeting to hold a closed meeting, the recording and minutes of
the open meeting shall also include:
2.6.1.3.1. The
reason or reasons for holding the closed meeting; and
2.6.1.3.2. The votes, by name, of the members present, either
for or against holding the closed meeting.
2.6.1.4. A recording of a
meeting shall be a complete and unedited recording of all open portions of the
meeting from the commencement of the meeting until the meetingÕs adjournment.
2.6.2. Closed meetings.
2.6.2.1. A recording shall
be kept of all closed meetings except for those closed meetings or portions of
closed meetings relating to the subjects in the following section.
Written minutes may also be kept of closed meetings except for those closed
meetings or portions of closed meetings relating to the subjects in the
following section.
2.6.2.2. The recording and any minutes kept of a closed meeting shall
include:
2.6.2.2.1. The
date, time and place of the meeting;
2.6.2.2.2. The names of members present and absent;
2.6.2.2.3. The names of all others present except where such
disclosure would compromise the confidential nature of the issues being
discussed or otherwise infringe the privacy rights of the others present.
2.6.2.3. A recording of a
closed meeting shall be a complete and unedited recording of all portions of
the meeting which are required to be recorded.
2.6.2.4. Closed meetings or portions of closed meetings which address the
following matters are not recorded and written minutes are not kept.
2.6.2.4.1.
Discussion of the character, professional competence, or physical or mental
health of an individual.
2.6.2.4.2. Discussion regarding deployment of security
personnel, devices, or systems.
2.7. Electronic Meetings
Prohibited. An electronic meeting is a meeting of the Board conducted or
convened by means of a telephonic, telecommunication, or computer
conference. The Board finds that the potential benefits of holding
electronic meetings or of permitting individual members to participate in Board
meetings by electronic means are outweighed by the costs, additional procedural
and notice requirements of holding such meetings. The Board therefore
hereby determines that none of its meetings shall be held by electronic means,
and individual members are not permitted to participate in Board meetings by
electronic meetings.
2.8. Office Hours - Approved 8-79;
revised 6-05. Office hours at the School Board Office shall be from 7:30 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Distribution: Board Members, Superintendent, Associations, Assistant Superintendents, Administrators and Principals.