Meeting Minutes Protocol

1. Meeting minutes are the permanent record of the proceedings during a School Board meeting.  All Board action must be recorded in the minutes; thus, the minutes focus on Board action.

2. The minutes only include information provided at the meeting.  Information may not be corrected or updated in the minutes unless it was discussed at the meeting.

3. Minutes include a summary of the Board’s discussion on an agenda topic; the minutes do not state what is said verbatim.  The minutes do not repeat the same point made by different individuals.  If appropriate, the minutes include a brief background and an explanation of the circumstances surrounding an issue discussed.  The minutes do not include the names of members making specific points during discussion.  Requests from individual Board members to include their vote or an opinion are handled according to Board policy 2:220, School Board Meeting Procedure.

4. The minutes include the topic of reports that are made to the Board including reports from the Superintendent or a Board committee.  Written reports are filed with the minutes but do not become part of the minutes.

5. The minutes note when a member is not present for the entire meeting due to late arrival and/or early departure.

6. Although items may be considered by the Board in a different order than appeared on the agenda, items in the minutes are generally recorded in the same order as they appeared on the agenda.  When a meeting is reconvened on a different date, the minutes must describe what happened on each meeting date.

7. The minutes should be recorded in an objective but positive/constructive tone.  Answers and explanations, rather than questions, are recorded.  Writing style, including choice of words and sentence structure, is at the discretion of the individual recording the minutes.

8. The minutes include individuals’ names who speak during the meeting’s public participation segment as well as the topics they address.  All written documents presented at a Board meeting are filed with the minutes but do not become part of the minutes.

9. The following template generally governs meeting minutes.

Open Meeting Minutes

Approval of Agenda

Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes (Needed only if this item is not on the consent agenda.)

Approval of Items on Consent Agenda (Delete if the Board does not use a consent agenda. This may include expense advancements, reimbursements, and/or purchase orders regulated by the Local Government Travel Expense Control Act (see Board policies 2:125, Board Member Compensation; Expenses, and 5:60, Expenses))

Public Comments (Reproduce this section for each individual making a comment.)

The following individual appeared and commented on the topic noted below: (Include the title of any documents presented to the Board.)

Remaining Agenda Items (Reproduce this section for each agenda item.)

If Applicable, Approval of Motion to Adjourn to Closed Meeting (Insert 2:220-E2, Motion to Adjourn to Closed Meeting.)

Approval of Motion to Adjourn

Post-Meeting Action