Coventry School Committee Policy #:1070

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1070: MINUTES

The purpose of this policy shall be to establish and set forth the guidelines and expectations of the Coventry School Committee regarding recording, formalizing and filing of minutes of all regular, special, and closed session meetings of the School Committee.

PHILOSOPHY:

The Coventry School Committee believes that meeting minutes should serve the purpose of creating a snapshot of the activities, actions and decisions occurring at the meeting of record. Minutes should be so constructed so as to provide a historical record of the School Committee’s work and should serve as a record of decisions and details significant to their making. They should reflect the substance of all matters proposed, discussed and/or decided, and the substance of oral or written remarks made by members of the Committee. In the fulfillment of the expectations of this policy, the Committee does not expect minutes to be an exact recording of specifically everything that was said and by whom but rather, that they reflect what was discussed, why it was discussed, what the significant points of discussion were, and what action was taken in consideration of the deliberations which took place.

POLICY STATEMENT:

In keeping with State Law and the specific stipulation of the Rules and Regulations adopted by the Secretary of State, the Committee sets forth the following expectations pertaining to the recording, formalizing and distribution of minutes of all meetings appropriately posted and recorded by the Coventry School Committee.

MINUTES CONTENT:

The minutes of all meetings of the School Committee, including regular, special and closed executive session meetings, shall include the following information:

1. The date, time, and place of the meeting.
2. The School Committee Members recorded as either present or absent
3. Approval of minutes of the preceding meeting or meetings.
4. A record of all actions taken by the Committee, including any motions made, the name of the motion maker and the second; the record of the vote, including the vote of each member recorded.
5. A record of all reports or other business coming before the Committee through the Superintendent and others, including any communications.
6. Any other information relevant to the business of the School Committee that any member of the Committee requests be included or reflected in the minutes.
7. The names of all persons who speak before the Committee and the topic of their remarks.
8. Time, date, and place of the next meeting.
9. The time of adjournment.



Policy #:1070

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AVAILABILITY AND ACCESS TO MEETING MINUTES:

School Committee minutes shall be constructed, formalized and made available for public review in keeping with the stipulations as herewith set forth:

1. The unofficial minutes of all meetings, exclusive of closed session minutes where appropriately stipulated, shall be available to the public at the office of the Superintendent of Schools within Two (2) weeks of the meeting or at the next regularly scheduled meeting, whichever is earlier, except where disclosure violates law or where law provides for an extension of the time limit.
2. A record of all votes taken at all meetings of the School Committee, listing how each member voted on each issue, shall be a public record and shall be available to the public at the Office of the Superintendent of Schools within thirty-five (35) days of the date of the vote.
3. The minutes of closed sessions shall be made available at the next regular scheduled meeting of the Committee unless the majority of the Committee votes to keep the minutes closed.

REPORTING, FORMALIZING AND FILING OF MINUTES:

Minutes of all meetings of the Coventry School Committee shall be recorded, formalized, reported and filed as herewith set forth:

1. All minutes shall be approved by the Committee in accord with direction as set forth above and shall carry the name and signature of the Committee Chairperson and Secretary on each page and the name of the recording secretary on the last page.
2. The official minutes and recorded proceedings of all meetings shall be maintained in the custody of the Superintendent of Schools who shall make them available to the public upon request during normal office hours.

In addition, a copy of each shall also be electronically filed with the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s Office.



1st Reading: Adopted:
2nd Reading: