Agenda
The Board President is responsible for focusing the Board meetings’ agendas on appropriate content.  The Superintendent shall prepare agendas in consultation with the Board President.  The President shall designate a portion of the agenda as a consent agenda for those items that usually do not require discussion or explanation before School Board action.  Any Board member may request the withdrawal of any item under the consent agenda for independent consideration.

Items submitted by School Board members to the Superintendent or the President shall be placed on the agenda.  District residents may suggest inclusions on the agenda. Items may be added to the agenda at the beginning of a regular meeting upon unanimous approval of those Board members present.

The Superintendent shall provide a copy of the agenda, with adequate data and background information, to each School Board member at least 48 hours before each meeting, except a meeting held in the event of an emergency. The meeting agenda shall be posted in accordance with Board policy 2:200, Types of School Board Meetings.

The Board President shall determine the order of business at regular School Board meetings.  Upon consent of a majority of members present, the order of business at any meeting may be changed.

Voting Method
Unless otherwise provided by law, when a vote is taken upon any measure before the School Board, with a quorum being present, a majority of the votes cast shall determine its outcome. A vote of “abstain” or “present” is counted for the purposes of determining whether a quorum is present.  A vote of “abstain” or “present,” however, is not counted as a “yea” or “nay” in determining whether a measure has been passed by the Board. The sequence for casting votes shall be rotated.

On all questions involving the expenditure of money and on all questions involving the closing of a meeting to the public, a roll call vote shall be taken and entered in the Board's minutes.

Minutes
The Recording Secretary shall keep written minutes of all School Board meetings, which shall be signed by the President and the Secretary.

The minutes include:

1. The meeting’s date, time, and place;
2. School Board members recorded as either present or absent;
3. A summary of the discussion on all matters proposed, deliberated, or decided, and a record of any votes taken;
4. On all matters requiring a roll call vote, a record of who voted  "yea" and "nay";
5. If the meeting is adjourned to another date, the time and place of the adjourned meeting;
6. The vote of each member present when a vote is taken to hold a closed meeting or portion of a meeting, and the reason for the closed meeting with a citation to the specific exception contained in the Open Meetings Act authorizing the closed meeting;
7. A record of all motions, the members making the motion and the second; and
8. The type of meeting, including any notices and, if a reconvened meeting, the original meeting's date.

The minutes shall be submitted to the School Board at its next regularly-scheduled open Board meeting for approval or modification. At least semi-annually in an open meeting, the Board: (1) reviews minutes from closed meetings that are currently unavailable for public release, and (2) decides which, if any, no longer require confidential treatment and are available for public inspection. The School Board may meet in a prior closed session to review the minutes from closed meetings that are currently unavailable for public release.

The School Board's meeting minutes must be submitted to the Board's Treasurer on the first Monday of April and October, and at other times as the Treasurer may require.

The official minutes are in the custody of the Recording Secretary. Open meetings’ minutes are available for inspection during regular office hours within 7 days after the Board's approval, in the office of the Superintendent, in the presence of the Secretary, the Superintendent or designee, or any School Board member.  Minutes from closed meetings are likewise available, but only if the School Board has released them for public inspection.  Only minutes that have been approved by the Board are available.  The minutes shall not be removed from the Superintendent's office except by vote of the School Board or by court order.

The Board’s open meeting minutes shall be posted on the District website within 7 days after the Board approves them; the minutes will remain posted for at least 60 days.

Verbatim Record of Closed Meetings
The Superintendent, or the Board Secretary when the Superintendent is absent, shall audio record all closed meetings.  If neither is present, the Board President or presiding officer shall assume this responsibility.  After the closed meeting, the person making the audio recording shall label the recording with the date and store it in a secure location.  The Superintendent shall ensure that: (1) an audio recording device and all necessary accompanying items are available to the Board for every closed meeting, and (2) a secure location for storing closed meeting audio recordings is maintained close to the Board’s regular meeting location.

During the Board’s semi-annual meetings to review the closed session minutes, the Board will also review the audio recordings of closed meetings in order to determine whether: (1) there continues to be a need for confidentiality, or (2) the recordings no longer require confidential treatment and are available for public inspection.  At no time will an audio recording be released that would violate State or Federal privacy or confidentiality requirements, including, but not limited to, any matter concerning: (1) a named student, (2) an employee’s or applicant’s personnel file and personal information, (3) school security plans, (4) communications between the Board and an attorney representing the District, and (5) all information exempted from disclosure under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act 5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.

After 18 months have passed since being made, the audio recording of a closed meeting is destroyed provided the Board approved: (1) its destruction, and (2) minutes of the particular closed meeting.  Requests by members of the public for access to a recording of a closed meeting will be denied unless the Board has found that the recording no longer needs confidential treatment. 

Individual Board members may listen to verbatim recordings when that action is germane to their responsibilities, (e.g. in order to check the accuracy of minutes or to determine whether the recordings no longer require confidential treatment.)  In the interest of encouraging free and open expression by Board members during closed meetings, the recordings of closed meetings should not be used by Board members to confirm or dispute the accuracy of recollections.

Quorum and Participation by Audio or Video Means
A quorum of the Board must be physically present at all Board meetings. A majority of the full membership of the School Board constitutes a quorum.

Provided a quorum is physically present, a Board member may attend a meeting by video or audio conference if he or she is prevented from physically attending because of: (1) personal illness or disability, (2) employment or District business, or (3) a family or other emergency. If a member wishes to attend a meeting by video or audio means, he or she must notify the recording secretary of Superintendent at least 24 hours before the meeting unless advance notice is impractical. The recording secretary or Superintendent will inform the Board President and make appropriate arrangements. A Board member who attends a meeting by audio or video means, as provided in this policy, may participate in all aspects of the Board meeting including voting on any item.

Rules of Order
The Board President, as the presiding officer, will use Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised as a guide when a question arises concerning procedure.

Broadcasting and Recording Board Meetings
Any person may record or broadcast an open School Board meeting. Requests for special needs, such as seating, writing surfaces, lighting, and access to electrical power, should be directed to the Superintendent at least 2 hours before the meeting.

Recording meetings shall not distract or disturb Board members, other meeting participants, or members of the public.  The Board President may designate a location for recording equipment, may restrict the movements of individuals who are using recording equipment, or may take such other steps as are deemed necessary to preserve decorum and facilitate the meeting.

LEGAL REF.:         5 ILCS 120/2a, 120/2.02, 120/2.05, and 120/2.06.
105 ILCS 5/10-6, 5/10-7, and 5/10-16.
Prosser v. Village of Fox Lake, 438 N.E.2d 134 (1982).

CROSS REF.:         2:200 (Types of School Board Meetings), 2:210 (Organizational School Board Meeting), 2:230 (Public Participation at School Board Meetings and Petitions to the Board)

Reviewed: November 17, 1003
Approved: December 2003
Revision Adopted: January 26, 2004; December 18, 2006