The Organization of CASD School Board Meetings

Thinking about attending a CASD school board meeting?  Awesome – We love seeing the community engagement!  Since your first time attending can be overwhelming and confusing, we put together some helpful information to assist you understand the format and procedures of these meetings.

 

2022 Public School Board Meeting Schedule

• Committee Meetings are held at 6:00 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month. 
• School Board meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. every fourth Tuesday of the month.  
  

Both meetings are held in-person in the Coatesville Area Senior High School Auditorium, unless otherwise stated (due to the COVID-19 pandemic or weather emergencies.)

Committee Meetings (Held on the 2^nd Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m.)

At CASD, School Board directors are broken into four (4) committees in order to divide the labor of the board into manageable categories. Education, Finance, Operations, and Policy.  Committee Meetings serve as the starting point for policies, initiatives, or planning and make recommendations for action of approval by the full board at a business School Board Meeting.

Each committee consists of three (3) Board Directors who have an opportunity to study and review issues within the committee’s area of responsibility in greater detail than possible at the entire board level as well as receive informational updates from the Administration.

Topics of interest to the public are generally discussed within a committee before going to the entire School Board for a vote. Public comment is accepted at the end of each committee meeting on topics related to the agenda.  (See Public Comment Guidelines) 

 

School Board Meetings (Held on the 4^th Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m.)

School Board meetings are official business meetings, at which the School Board meets in their official capacity to deliberate and take action on the business of the school district. In accordance with the Board’s adopted Policy 006 Meetings and based on the PA Public School Code section 4-421, the School Board is required to meet at least once every two months, at specified times and places, to conduct the business of the school district.

According to the Sunshine Act (65 Pa. C.S. Sec. 702), a meeting is “held for the purpose of deliberating agency business or taking official action.” The role of the School Board at meetings is to consider and discuss the information presented on the Board meeting agenda and to take official action by voting on motions made regarding that business, i.e., approving the hiring of personnel recommended by administration.

School Board meeting include two public comment opportunities: one for specific items listed on the agenda and another for general comment.    (See Public Comment Guidelines)

 

Special Meetings (Can be called by the board at any time with public notification of ten days, but typically they are held right after all committee meetings are finished.) 

These meeting happen after Committee meetings for action on matters that cannot wait until the next regular meeting. Only the specific topic on the special meeting agenda can be discussed.

 

Executive Session (Held on the 2^nd & 4^th Monday of every month.)

Also known as a “Closed Meeting.” These meetings are where the board discusses only items that are not permitted to be discussed publicly: for example, some discussions could center around anticipated litigation and issues involving attorney-client privilege; negotiations with labor unions and negotiating strategy; matters involving the purchase of property; and any discussion of student discipline.  NO voting may take place in the executive session; votes must occur in public.

The Sunshine Act restricts school boards to discussing a limited number of items in a closed meeting or “out of sunshine.” Such meetings are called executive sessions and may be held only for the following reasons:

1. Personnel matters.
2. Information, strategy and negotiation related to negotiation or arbitration of a collective bargaining agreement.
3. Consideration of the lease or purchase of property.
4. Consulting with an attorney or other professional adviser about active or pending litigation.
5. Discussing agency business which, if conducted in public, would violate a lawful privilege or lead to disclosure of information or confidentiality protected by law.
6. Discussion of certain public safety issues if disclosure of the information would be reasonably likely to jeopardize or threaten public safety or preparedness or public protection.

 

FAQ About School Board Meetings

What is the board agenda?

Agenda reflect the matters to be discussed in that meeting. However, the board is not precluded from addressing an issue that arises just because it was not on the agenda.  You can find CASD’s agendas on the School website under School Board > Board Docs

What is a consent agenda?

At every board meeting, at least a few items come to the agenda that do not need any discussion or debate either because they are routine procedures or are already unanimous consent. A consent agenda (Roberts Rules of Order calls it a consent calendar) allows the board to approve all these items together without discussion or individual motions.

What is considered a “Public” School Board Meeting?

The Sunshine Act requires that official action and deliberations by a quorum of the Board and most Board committees take place at a meeting open to the public.  Boards must also announce to the public, in advance, when and where meetings will be held in order for the public to attend and have the opportunity to comment before the Board takes official action.

Can the Board limit a community member's participation in school board meetings?

The Public School Code (section 407), Policies 006 and 903, and the Sunshine Act (Section 710) allow the Board to establish reasonable rules and regulations for conducting the business of the Board at public meetings.  School boards have the option to accept all public comment on agenda items at the beginning of the meeting, rather than before each vote on each individual agenda item.  Boards may set reasonable limits on the overall length of the comment period and the time allotted for each to comment.  The Board may choose to hear public comments on non-agenda items at the end of the board meeting.  The Board may also ask commenters to state their name and information for purpose of taking the Board meeting minutes.