1400: Meeting Conduct, Order of Business, Quorum and Public Comment

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1000: Board

Adoption Date: July 3, 2012
Last Revised: Aug.18, 2022

Board meetings will be scheduled in compliance with the law, and as deemed by the Board to be in the best interests of the district and community. The Board will function through (1) regular meetings, (2) special meetings, and (3) emergency meetings.

Regular Meetings

The regular meetings of the Board of Directors will be held at least once a month, according to a yearly schedule for the following school year (September-August) adopted by the Board. Any member of the public may attend Board meetings, including individuals who do not live within district boundaries. The calendar for July and August will be updated at the first regular meeting in May. Adjustments may be made to the schedule, as long as they are posted at least two weeks in advance.

All regular meetings of the Board will be held within the district boundaries. An agenda of the business the Board will transact must be posted on the district website not less than twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the published start time of the meeting.

Special Meetings

Special meetings may be called by the Board President or at the request of a majority of Board directors. A written notice of a special meeting, and the business to be transacted, will be delivered to each Board director. Written notice will also be sent to the meeting to each newspaper, radio station, or television station that has filed a written request for such notices. Written notice may be delivered personally or by mail, facsimile, or electronic mail. Written notice will also be posted on the district website.

All required notices must be delivered or posted not less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the meeting.

A Board director waives the written notice requirement if he or she:

Submits a written waiver of notice to the Board secretary at or prior to the time the meeting convenes. The waiver may be given by telegram, fax, or electronic mail; or
Is actually present at the time the meeting convenes.

The Board will not take final disposition on any matter other than those items stated in the meeting notice

Emergency Meetings

In the event of an emergency involving fire, flood, earthquake, possible personal injury or property damage, the Board may meet immediately and take official action without prior notification.

Public Notice

Public notice shall be properly given for any special meeting, whenever a regular meeting is adjourned to another time, or when a regular meeting is to be held at a place other than the Wilburton Instructional Service Center.

All public notices of Board meetings should inform persons with disabilities that they may contact the superintendent’s office so that arrangements are necessary, they can be made for them to participate in Board meetings.

All meetings will be open to the public with the exception of executive or closed sessions authorized by law. The Board will take final action resulting from executive session discussions during a meeting open to the public as required by law.

Board Office

During the interim between meetings, the office of the superintendent, as Board secretary, will be the office of the Board. The district’s public records will be open for inspection in the manner provided by and subject to the limitation of the law.

Quorum and Voting

A quorum consists of the majority of all Board directors. As a school Board with five directors, three Board directors constitute a quorum. A quorum is required for the transaction of business, including voting. Board directors are not required to be physically present to attend a Board meeting. Any or all Board directors may attend a Board meeting and vote via any communication platform that provides simultaneous aural communication with those in attendance. Additionally, any meeting held via a communication platform must: 1) include proper notice with any required passwords or authorization codes; 2) be known and accessible to the public; and 3) accommodate any member of the public who wishes to attend.

The Board will take no action by secret ballot at any meeting required to be open to the public. Generally, the Board votes on motions and resolutions by “voice” vote, unless a Board directors requests to vote by oral roll call, in which case the Board will do so. A motion passes when a majority of those Board directors present and voting vote in favor. However, a majority vote of all Board directors is required to elect or select a superintendent or Board officer and the Board must vote on these matters by an oral roll call. The Board will vote by an oral roll call whenever required by law.

Meeting Conduct and Order of Business

The Board will conduct all Board meetings in a civil, orderly, and business-like manner. The Board uses Roberts Rules of Order (Revised) as a guide, except when Board bylaws or policies supersede such rules.

The Board will use the agenda to establish its regular order of business. However, either the superintendent or a Board director may request additions or changes to the prepared agenda, and the Board may adopt a revised agenda or order of business by a majority vote of the Board director present. At a special meeting, the Board may take final action only on that business contained in the notice of the special meeting.

Meeting Recess and Continuation

The Board may recess a regular, special, or previously recessed meeting to a specific future time. Notice of such a recess and continuation must be posted at or near the door of the meeting room. If the meeting is recessed to another day, the meeting notice and location will be posted on the district website. Notification to the press is not required.

Public Comment

Any member of the public may attend Board meetings, including individuals who do not live within district boundaries. The Board will not require people to sign in, complete questionnaires, or establish other conditions for attendance.

The Board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of involving members of the public in its meetings. In order to permit fair and orderly expression of public comment, the Board will provide a period during the meeting in which visitors may address the Board in-person or remotely on any topic within the scope of the Board’s responsibility. The Board may structure the public comment period, including determining the total time allotted for public comment and equally apportioning the minutes for each speaker. The Board is not obligated to provide additional public comment time to accommodate everyone in attendance who wishes to speak. Any structure the Board imposes will be content neutral.

The scheduled time at which public comment will occur will be set forth in the posted agenda of each Board meeting as outlined in 1400P.

The Board will require those who wish to make public comment to make request as outlined in 1400P, so that the Board has a tally of individuals who wish to make public comment. When called upon, individuals will proceed to make comments within the time limits established by the Board.

The Board is not obligated to respond to questions or challenges made during the public comment period and the Board’s silence will not signal agreement or endorsement of the speaker’s remarks. The Board may control the time, place, and manner of public comment. The Board President, or meeting Chair, may terminate an individual's statement when the allotted time has passed and may interrupt a speaker to require the same standard of civility that the Board imposes on itself. Examples of uncivil comments include comments that:

Are libelous or slanderous;
Are an unwarranted invasion of privacy;
Are obscene or indecent pursuant to the Federal Communications Act or any rule or regulation of the Federal Communications Commission;
Violate school district policy or procedure related to harassment, intimidation, bullying, or discrimination;
Incite an unlawful act on school premises or violate a lawful school regulation; or
Create a material and substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the Board meeting.

The Board as a whole, has the final decision in determining the appropriateness of all such rulings and can maintain order by removing those who are disruptive. The Board recognizes, however, the distinction between uncivil discourse, which it will not tolerate, and comments about the Board, district, and/or staff that are negative yet still civil in nature and will exercise its authority to maintain order in a content neutral manner.

In addition to the public comment period, the Board may identify the agenda items that require or would benefit from opportunity for public comment and provide those opportunities as part of the meeting agenda before taking final action. Individuals or groups who wish to present to the Board on an agenda item are encouraged to request and schedule such presentations in advance. Opportunity for public comment—both oral and written—is required before the Board adopts or amends a policy that is not expressly or by implication authorized under state or federal law, but which will promote the education of K-12 students, or will promote the effective, efficient, or safe management and operation of the district.

Cross Reference:

Legal References:

RCW 28A.320.15 School Boards of directors— Powers— Notice of adoption of policy
RCW 28A.320.040 Directors — Bylaws for Board and school government
RCW 28A.330.020 Certain Board elections, manner and vote required
RCW 28A.330.070 Office of Board — Records available for public inspection
RCW 28A.343.370 Directors —Vacancies
RCW 28A.343.380 Directors — Meetings
RCW 28A.343.390 Directors — Quorum — Failure to attend meetings
RCW 42.30.030 Meetings declared open and public
RCW 42.30.050 Interruptions — Procedure
RCW 42.30.060 Open Public Meetings — Voting by secret ballot prohibited
Ch.42 U.S.C. §§ 12101-12213 Americans with Disabilities Act