Bellingham Public Schools must advertise all school board meetings, including study sessions and retreats, as meetings that are open to the public. If a board wishes to devote all or most of a special meeting to an issue(s) to be discussed in executive session (Policy 1410), the special meeting should be called to order and recessed to an executive session. The purpose of the executive session should be announced at the meeting and recorded in the minutes (e.g., real estate matters, litigation).
All regular meetings must be held within the district boundaries. Special meetings may be held outside the district with proper notice of the time and location.
听
It is unlawful for any member of the public to knowingly carry onto, or to possess on, any area of a facility being used for official school board meetings, a dangerous weapon, including but not limited to a firearm, 鈥渘un-chu-ka sticks,鈥 鈥渢hrowing stars,鈥 air gun or pistol, stun gun or other dangerous weapon as listed in RCW 9.41.280. The board must ensure that signs providing notice of the restrictions on possession of firearms and other weapons are posted at facilities being used for official meetings of the board.
Meeting Notices
All public notices of board meetings should inform persons with disabilities and those individuals who may have difficulty physically attending a board meeting that they may contact the superintendent鈥檚 office, so that the district can arrange for them to participate in board meetings. A regular meeting does not require a public notice if held at the time and place provided by board policy.听If the board does not meet at its regular location, the meeting should be treated as a special meeting with proper notice to the press stating the time, place, and purpose of the meeting.
听
For special meetings, a district is required to notify those newspapers and radio and television stations that have filed a request for such notification.听The district must also provide written notice and a printed or electronic copy of the agenda to each school director 24 hours prior to the meeting. Notice to a school director is deemed waived if the school director files a written notice of waiver with the board secretary before or at the time of the commencement of the meeting or by the school director’s actual attendance at the meeting.
听
The district must also post notice of the meeting on the district’s website, the door of the main district offices, and the door at the location of the meeting if it is different from the district’s offices. Notice of regular meetings must be posted on the district website not less than twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the published start time of the meeting.
听
At a special meeting, the board may discuss items that were not on the original agenda, but the board cannot take final action on any topics that were not identified on the original agenda.
听
If the board is to discuss an item in executive session in accordance with Policy 1410, the item of business must also appear on the agenda if final action is to be taken following the executive session.
No meeting notice is required when the board is acting as a quasi-judicial body in a matter between named parties (e.g., hearing on discharge,听nonrenewal听or discipline of an employee, unless the employee requests a public meeting; hearing regarding suspension or expulsion of a student) or for the purpose of planning or adopting strategy or positions to be taken in collective bargaining, grievance or mediation proceedings, or reviewing such proposals made by a bargaining unit.
Meeting Recess and Continuation
The board may recess a regular, special or recessed meeting to a specific future time. The district must post notice of such a recess and continuation at or near the door of the meeting room. Notification to the press is not required.