2023                      1510

By-Laws

 

SUBJECT: REGULAR BOARD MEETINGS AND RULES (QUORUM AND PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE)

 

All Board meetings will be open to the public except those portions that are executive sessions. The Board will make reasonable efforts to ensure that all meetings are held in an appropriate facility that can adequately accommodate all members of the public who wish to attend. The Superintendent will attend all Board meetings. Members of the Superintendent’s staff may attend Board meetings at the Superintendent’s discretion. The Board may also request that additional people attend.

 

Regular Board meetings will take place on the day and time designated by the Board at the Annual Organizational Meeting, except as modified. Any Board meeting may be adjourned to a future date and time if approved by a majority of the Board present. Further, if a meeting date falls on a legal holiday, interferes with other area meetings, or Board member attendance will be less than a quorum, the Board will select a date for a postponed meeting at the prior regular meeting, and it will direct the Clerk to notify all members. The District Clerk will provide the Board members written notice of the time of and agenda for each regular meeting before the meeting.

 

When the Board schedules a meeting on at least one week’s notice, it will give or electronically transmit public notice of the time and place to the news media and conspicuously post the notice in one or more designated public locations at least 72 hours before the meeting. Notice of other meetings will be given or electronically transmitted, to the extent practicable, to the news media and conspicuously posted at one or more designated public locations at a reasonable time before the meeting. When the District has the ability to do so, it will conspicuously post the meeting notices on its website.

If videoconferencing or online technology is used to conduct a meeting, the public notice for the meeting will inform the public, identify all the locations for the meeting, and state that the public has the right to attend at any of the locations. If a meeting is streamed live over the internet, the public notice
will inform the public of the website’s internet address. Voting may be done through videoconferencing, provided that members can be both seen and heard voting and participating from remote locations.

The Superintendent will prepare the meeting agenda during the week before the meeting and review it with the Board President. The agenda will then be distributed to Board members no later than the Friday before the regular meeting. The President or other Board members will submit requests to place matters on the agenda to the Superintendent. Whenever individuals or groups wish to bring a matter to the attention of the Board, they will submit a written request to the Superintendent.

 

District records available to the public under the Freedom of Information Law, as well as any proposed resolution, rule, regulation, policy, or amendment scheduled to be discussed at a Board meeting will be made available upon request, to the extent practicable, at least 24 hours before the meeting. Copies of these records may be made available for a reasonable fee. These records will be posted on the District’s website to the extent practicable at least 24 hours before the meeting.

 

Recording Meetings

The Board allows public meetings to be photographed, broadcast, webcast, or otherwise recorded by means of audio or video, in a non-disruptive manner, and it supports the use of this technology to facilitate the open communication of public business.

 

Quorum

The quorum for any Board meeting is four members. No formal action will be taken at any meeting where a quorum is not present. Unless otherwise required by law, official action will only be taken by approval of the majority of the full Board.

 

Use of Parliamentary Procedure

The Board will use pertinent portions of the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order to conduct its business.

 

Public Comment

The Board encourages courteous and respectful public comment at Board meetings. All speakers must conduct themselves in a civil manner. Obscene language, harassing language, defamatory statements, and threats of violence are prohibited. All participants are required to comply with the District Code of Conduct.

The Board will designate a specific portion of its meeting agenda for public comment. The public is not permitted to discuss topics unrelated to the District, matters unrelated to the agenda, and/or matters involving specific
individuals. Each speaker will be allowed up to three minutes. The Board may request, but will not require, speakers identify themselves. The Board is not required to allow speakers to cede their remaining time to other speakers. Written comments may be directed to the Board.

If there are a large number of individuals who want to address the Board, the Board President may limit the number of repetitive comments being made.

If individuals engage in disruptive or unruly behavior during the meeting, the Board President will remind the audience of this policy and the requirement to conduct themselves in a civil manner and comply with the District Code of Conduct. The Board President may call for the removal of disruptive or unruly individuals from the meeting. When appropriate, law enforcement may be called to remove disruptive or unruly individuals. In some instances, individuals engaging in disruptive or unruly behavior may be subject to criminal sanctions.

These rules apply to residents and nonresidents equally

• Education Law §§ 1708, 2504 and 2801
• General Construction Law § 41
• Penal Law § 240.20
• Public Officers Law Article 7
• 8 NYCRR § 100.2

 

NOTE:      Refer also to Policies #1520 — Special Meetings of the Board

 #1540 — Executive Sessions

 #6211 — Employment of Relatives of Board Members

 

 

 

Adopted:  4/17/12

Revised:  8/26/14, 9/22/20; 2/7/2023