SERIES 2000: BYLAWS

2501 Board Meetings and Open Meetings Act Compliance

2501 Meetings

Board meetings must be conducted in accordance with the Open Meetings Act.

A. Notice

1. The Board must publicly post its regular meeting schedule within 10 calendar days after the Board’s first meeting in each calendar or fiscal year. The notice must include the dates, times, and places of the regular meetings. If the regular meeting schedule is changed, the Board must publicly post the revised regular meeting schedule within 3 calendar days after the Board meeting at which the change was made.
2. Special meeting and rescheduled regular meeting notices must be posted at least 18 hours in advance of a special or rescheduled regular meeting.
3. Regular, rescheduled regular, and special meeting notices must be posted at the Board’s principal offices. The notice, or a prominent and conspicuous link to the notice, also must be posted on the District website’s homepage as required by the Open Meetings Act, if the District’s website is updated at least monthly with meeting agendas or minutes.
4. Meeting notices must contain:

a. the name, address, and telephone number of the Board;

b. the time, date, and place of the meeting; 

c. a statement where official minutes are stored and available for inspection; and

d. a disability accessibility notice.

 5. Emergency meetings may be held without complying with the above- described notice requirements if there is a severe and imminent threat to the health, safety, or welfare of the public exists, and two-thirds of the Board members elected or appointed to and serving on the Board determine that delay would be detrimental to efforts to lessen or respond to the threat. The Board will provide notice of an emergency meeting in compliance with the Open Meetings Act.

 6. Public hearing notices must contain a description of the purpose(s) for which the public hearing will be conducted to the extent required by law.

 7. The notice for an electronic Board meeting must comply with Policy 2501A.

B. Quorum

1. A quorum of the Board means a majority of the Board members elected or appointed to and serving on the Board, unless different quorum and voting rules are otherwise provided by law.
2. All deliberations of a quorum of the Board must take place at a meeting that is open to the public, unless closed session deliberations are permitted by law.
3. All decisions made by the Board constituting a quorum of its members must take place at a meeting that is open to the public, except as otherwise provided by the Open Meetings Act.

C. Meeting Types

1. The Board will hold its regular meetings at the dates, times, and locations specified in the District’s annual notice published pursuant to the Open Meetings Act. If the notice is amended, then meetings will be held according to the amended notice.
2. Special, rescheduled regular, or emergency meetings may be called by the President, the Superintendent, or two Board members. Notice of such meetings will be provided in accordance with the Open Meetings Act.
3. The Board may, in compliance with the Open Meetings Act, hold work sessions and retreats to provide Board members and administrators with the opportunity to plan, research, and engage in discussion.
4. The Board may meet as a committee of the whole. See Policy 2505(C).

D. Closed Session

1. The Board may meet and deliberate in closed session only for 1 or more purposes authorized by the Open Meetings Act.
2. Depending on the closed session purpose(s), the Open Meetings Act may require a two-thirds roll call vote for the Board to meet in closed session. A vote to enter closed session must be made in open session.
3. Closed session meeting minutes must be kept confidential. Board members must keep matters discussed and documents received confidential unless otherwise authorized by the Board or law. See Section G, below.
4. All discussions in closed session are limited to the purpose(s) identified in the motion calling the closed session.
5. The Board will determine the non-member attendees for a closed session unless attendance is required by Policy or law.
6. No decisions will be made during a closed session.

E. Meeting Cancellation

The Board is legally required to hold at least 1 public meeting each month. The President or designee may cancel a Board meeting if the President or designee determines that a quorum of the Board will not be present for the meeting, there is no business for the Board to conduct at the meeting, or it would be unreasonable or dangerous for Board members or the public to attend the meeting (e.g., inclement weather). The President or designee will ensure that a District staff member posts notice of the cancellation on the District’s website on the same day as the cancellation. If necessary, a cancelled meeting will be rescheduled.

F. Electronic Board Meetings and Remote Participation

Electronic Board meetings may be held, and a Board member may participate in a Board meeting remotely, as authorized by Policy 2501A.

G. Minutes

The Board will keep minutes of each Board meeting in accordance with the following:

1. The Secretary will record and maintain meeting minutes.
2. The Secretary, or an acting Secretary in the absence of the Secretary, will sign meeting minutes.
3. Meeting minutes will comply with the Open Meetings Act.

a. Open session meeting minutes.

i. Minutes for a meeting open to the public will include at least the following information:

A) the meeting date, time, and location;

B) the Board members present for or otherwise participating in the meeting;

C) the Board members absent from the meeting;

D) board decisions;

E) the purpose(s) for which any closed session meeting was held and the specific provision(s) of the Open Meetings Act that permitted the closed session;

F) any roll call votes conducted by the Board; and

G) corrections, if any.

ii. The Board must make proposed open session meeting minutes available for public inspection within 8 business days after the applicable Board meeting.

iii. The Board must make approved open session meeting minutes available for public inspection within 5 business days after the meeting at which the Board approved the minutes.

b. Closed session meeting minutes.

i. Closed session meeting minutes must be prepared and maintained separately from open session meeting minutes.

ii. Closed session meeting minutes will not be made available to, or be disclosed to, the public, except as required by court order.

iii. Closed session meeting minutes may be destroyed by the District 1 year and 1 calendar day after the approval of the minutes of the regular meeting at which the closed session minutes were approved, or any time thereafter.

iv. Closed session meeting minutes must include at least the following information:

A) the meeting date, time, and, location;

B) the Board members present for or otherwise participating in the meeting;

C) the Board members absent from the meeting; and

D) the purpose(s) for which the closed session meeting was held and the specific Open Meetings Act provision(s) that permitted the closed session.

c. Open session Board meeting minutes may be published on the District’s website.

H. Accommodating Board Members and Other Individuals with Disabilities

Any Board member or other individual with a disability who requires reasonable accommodations to participate in, or attend, a Board meeting must contact the Superintendent’s office in advance of the meeting to request an accommodation.

J. Parliamentary Procedure

Board meetings will be conducted consistent with the parliamentary authority provided in Roberts Rules of Order, provided the procedure is consistent with Board Policy and the law.]

Legal authority: MCL 15.263, 15.263a, 15.265, 15.267, 15.269; MCL 380.1201



Date adopted: 08/09/21

Date revised: 06/19/23, 10/16/23