FILE:  BC

Cf:  AB, ABC

Cf:  BCBG, BCBI, BCBK

SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS

The Sabine Parish School Board has the authority to hold as many School Board meetings per month as the School Board deems necessary.  The School Board is required by state law to conduct at least one (1) regularly scheduled meeting per month.

The Sabine Parish School Board shall hold regular meetings monthly at a time and date determined by the School Board.  Regular meetings shall be held on the second Monday of every month beginning at 5:30 p.m. to consider and transact any and all business that may come before the School Board.

The fourth Monday of each month shall be reserved for called special meetings, as may be necessary.  Special meetings of the Sabine Parish School Board may be called by the President, when, in his/her opinion, it is necessary, or when requested by the Superintendent or by any two (2) members of the School Board.

A written public notice shall be given of all regularly scheduled meetings in accordance with statutory provisions.  Such notice shall include the specified time, date, and place of the meeting.

The public and news media shall be informed of the dates of all regular and special meetings.  All meetings shall be open to the public except meetings that meet the criteria described in Louisiana law for being closed meetings.

An agenda shall be prepared by the Superintendent with the advice of the President.  At any regular or special meeting of the School Board, no business may be transacted which does not come within the purpose or purposes set forth in the agenda for the meeting, except upon unanimous approval of the members of the School Board present at that meeting.  The motion to add an item not on the agenda shall identify the item with reasonable specificity, including the purpose for the proposed addition to the agenda, and shall be entered into the minutes.  In keeping with state law and School Board policy, prior to any vote to add an item to the agenda, there shall be an opportunity for public comment on the motion.

Official actions or decisions shall be made only in official meetings of the School Board.  No member of the School Board or any committee of the School Board shall have the power to act in the name of the School Board outside of official School Board meetings unless so designated by a majority of the School Board duly convened.

It is the desire of the School Board that meetings shall be formal enough for orderly procedure.  In matters of procedures not covered by law, School Board policy, or the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, meetings of the School Board shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order, Revised.  The President shall be entitled to discuss and vote on all matters before the School Board.

The President may preclude discussion which does not apply to the motion last made.  He/she may also minimize or halt discussion of a matter if the School Board has previously agreed to confine discussion to a definite period of time, and that period has been used up.  Aside from such limitation, the President may limit debate only with the concurrence of two-thirds (⅔) vote of the members present.

A simple majority of the School Board members present and voting may adopt any motion or any policy and/or regulation, otherwise a majority of the full membership or larger is needed when specifically required by law.

RECONSIDERATION

Subject to the exceptions listed below, no item, matter, subject or business which has been considered and voted on at a previous School Board meeting, regardless of the nature of the motion voted upon and regardless of the outcome of the vote, may be considered at a subsequent School Board meeting until after the expiration of ninety (90) days from such vote, unless a motion to suspend the rules to reconsider such item has first been duly made, seconded and carried by the favorable vote of two-thirds (⅔) of the total membership of the School Board.  This prohibition shall not apply where the previous motion was to defer action on the item for a specific period of time or until a specific School Board meeting or where the previous motion was to refer the matter to staff personnel or to a committee of the School Board for further study.  This prohibition shall also not apply to consideration of items supplemental to an item previously acted upon, but shall apply only where the purpose of the item is to change previous School Board action.

ELECTRONIC MEETINGS

If the Governor has declared a state of emergency or disaster involving a geographic area within the jurisdiction of the School Board and the nature of the emergency or disaster would cause a meeting of the School Board conducted pursuant to the other provisions of the policy to be detrimental to the health, safety, or welfare of the public, then the School Board may conduct and its members may attend and participate in a meeting via electronic means provided that all of the notice and participation provisions of state law are met and minutes are recorded.

QUORUM

A quorum for the transaction of official business shall consist of a majority (5) of the members of the School Board.  When a quorum of the School Board has convened and neither the President nor the Vice-President is present, the members shall elect one of their number to serve as President for that meeting.

Official meetings of the School Board may only be held when a quorum is present.

Ref:    La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 42:12, 42:13, 42:14, 42:15, 42:16, 42:17, 42:19, 42:20, 42:24, 42:25

Board minutes, 6-8-00, 2-18-04, 5-3-05, 4-19-07, 10-20-08, 3-11-13, 12-8-14, 6-13-16, 9-10-18, 1-14-19, 6-8-20, 2-8-21

Sabine Parish School Board