FILE: BC
SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS
The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board will meet a minimum of once per month, as required by law, and each meeting shall be conducted in accordance with School Board policy.
Except as otherwise provided herein, all meetings of the School Board shall be held at its domicile and offices at 1600 Highway 44, Reserve, Louisiana. Once every six (6) months, however, regular meetings shall be held at a West Bank school site. (Last meeting in January and last meeting in July.) Upon School Board approval, a change to the venue of any regular scheduled meeting can be made, provided Policy BCBI and BCAB accommodations are available at the location.
A regular meeting of the School Board may be cancelled, or time and place thereof changed, in accordance with open meetings law.
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.
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.
Official actions or decisions shall be made only in official meetings of the School Board wherein a quorum is present. No member of the School Board, nor 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.
SPECIAL MEETINGS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD
Special meetings of the School Board may be called only by the President or by a majority of the entire School Board except that, when the President is out of the parish, ill, or otherwise unavailable, the Vice President of the School Board may call a special meeting of the School Board.
Written notice must be signed by the President, Vice President, or a majority of the members of the entire School Board, as the case may be, when a special meeting is called and proper written notice is given. Such written notice shall be electronically mailed at least twenty-four (24) hours, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, prior to the time of such special meeting. In the event that electronic mail is not available, other options of delivery include: United States mail (postage prepaid) or hand delivery. Such written notice shall also be posted on the front door of the School Board office and forwarded to any member of the news media who has requested to be sent copies of such notice. Additionally, the Superintendent shall attempt to contact all School Board Members by telephone.
In cases of extraordinary emergency, the time and notice requirements of this policy shall not be required; provided, however, that the person or persons calling such special meeting shall give such notice thereof as they deem appropriate and circumstances permit, including notice to the news media in the same manner as notice is given to School Board members, and provided further that the existence of an extraordinary emergency and waiver of the time and notice requirements must be approved by a favorable vote of a majority of the total School Board at such special meeting.
Any call for a special meeting shall specify the items to be considered and only such items shall be considered.
Student Hearings
All review hearings on student expulsions and early readmittances shall be held during regular scheduled School Board meetings.
Tenure Hearings
All tenure and other hearings shall be held in accordance with La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:443.
School Board Retreats
School Board shall conduct two (2) retreats per year.
QUORUM
No meeting of the School Board may be officially convened and conducted unless a quorum (simple majority of the total membership of the School Board) is present within fifteen (15) minutes of the advertised start time.
Should a quorum cease to be present after a meeting has been officially convened, the presiding officer shall recess the meeting for such time as is deemed appropriate to attempt to re-establish a quorum (up to fifteen (15) minutes, and may thereafter declare the meeting adjourned if such presiding officer determines that quorum cannot be re-established.
New policy: August 8, 2024
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, 8-16-07, 11-6-08, 10-9-17, 7-19-18, 8-15-19, 8-8-24
St. John the Baptist Parish School Board