Policy:

Regular Meetings Regular meetings of the Julian Charter School, Inc. (JCS, Inc.) Board of Directors shall be held consistent with the calendar for such meetings as established by the Board each year. If at any time any regular meeting falls on a holiday, (Federal, State, or local), such regular meeting shall be held on the next business day.

Special Meetings Special Meetings may be called on an as-needed basis, consistent with legal requirements.

Notification of Meetings Not later than 72 hours prior to a regular meeting and not later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to a Special Meeting, the Executive Director shall provide notice of the time and place of the meeting, and the agenda shall be provided to all Board members and those persons or entities who have previously requested notice of such meetings and shall be posted online on the Corporation’s website.

Meetings Open to the Public

Open Session

All meetings of the Board shall be open to the public except Closed Sessions, as authorized by law.

Presentations to the Board

Agenda Items Any person may address the Board concerning any item on the agenda and may, at the discretion of the Board, be granted five minutes to make a presentation to the Board at the time the specific item is under discussion. The President of the Board may grant additional time for an individual to address the Board if circumstances permit. The total time devoted to presentations to the Board on agenda items shall not exceed one-half hour unless additional time is granted by the Board. The Board President may curtail individual presentations if repetitive of points raised by others, particularly if it appears the total allotted time may be exceeded. The Board President may alter the amount of time allotted to public speakers as needed. All presentations shall be heard by the Board prior to the formal discussion of the agenda topic by the Board and consideration of action.

Oral Communications

Citizens may address the Board on any item not listed on the Board meeting agenda. Speakers will be limited to three (3) minutes. No more than a total of fifteen (15) minutes shall be devoted to all non-agenda items at a regular meeting. The Board President may disallow a request to address the Board if repetitive of other speakers, or if the speaker seeks to make a presentation that he or another speaker has made at a previous meeting, particularly if it appears that the total allotted time may be exceeded. The Board President may alter the amount of time allotted to public speakers as needed. Members of the public attempting to make complaints or charges against a School employee before the Board in open session will be offered the option to meet with staff to file a complaint under the Corporation’s established complaint procedures.

Disturbance of Meetings

Any person who willfully disturbs any Board meeting will be asked to leave immediately and may be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by law.

Requests to Address the Board

Prior to the beginning of the meeting, citizens seeking to address the Board on an item on the agenda or during time allocated for oral communications shall complete the card, “Request to Address the Board” (located in the Board Meeting Room), and give it to the Board President or Secretary to the Board.

Minutes of Board Meetings

The minutes of open session meetings of the Board shall record all motions, show the names of Board members making and seconding motions and state the vote upon the motion and be posted on BoardDocs for easy access by staff and the public.

Quorum Requirements

A majority of the voting members of the Board shall constitute a quorum of Board which is necessary for the Board to transact business. All motions, in order to pass, need positive action by at least a majority of the Board. Should there be fewer than a majority of the Board present at any meeting, the meeting shall be adjourned.

Recording of Meetings

All Board meetings shall be recorded and uploaded to the JCS, Inc. website under Governance so the public has access to all meetings.

Teleconferencing Rules Under State of Emergency

When Teleconferencing During State of Emergency is Permissible

The Board may hold a meeting via teleconferencing without complying with the requirements of Government Code section 54953(b)(3) in any of the following circumstances:

The Board holds a meeting during a proclaimed state of emergency, and state or local officials have imposed or recommended measures to promote social distancing.

The Board holds a meeting during a proclaimed state of emergency for the purpose of determining, my majority vote, whether as a result of the emergency, meeting in person would present imminent risks to the health or safety of attendees.

Requirement for Teleconferenced Meetings During a State of Emergency

If the Board holds a teleconferenced meeting during a proclaimed state of emergency, the Board shall do all of the following:

Give notice of the meeting and post agendas as otherwise required by the Brown Act.

Allow members of the public to access the meeting and the agenda shall provide an opportunity for members to address the Board directly. The agenda shall also give notice of the means by which members of the public may access the meeting and offer public comment. These opportunities may be by call-in option or an internet-based service option. No physical location will be provided to the public.

Conduct teleconference meetings in a manner that protects the statutory and constitutional rights of the parties and the public at the board meeting.

Public Comments Rule

In the event of a disruption preventing the Board from broadcasting the meeting or in the event of a disruption within the Corporation’s control that prevents the public from offering public comments using the call-in or internet based service option, the Board shall take no further action on items appearing on the meeting agenda until the public access to the meeting is restored. Actions taken on agenda items during a disruption that prevents the Corporation from broadcasting the meeting may be challenged.

The Board shall not require public comments to be submitted in advance of the meeting and must provide an opportunity for the public to address the Board and offer comment in real time.

The public shall be granted a reasonable amount of time on each agenda item to provide public comment or to sign in to the board meeting in order to provide public comment.

Requirements to Continue Using Teleconferencing During a State of Emergency

If a state of emergency remains active, or state or local officials have imposed or recommended measure to promote social distancing, in order to continue to teleconference without compliance with Government Code section 54953(b)(3), the Board shall, no later than 30 days after teleconferencing for the first time and every 30 days thereafter, make the following findings by majority vote:

The Board has reconsidered the circumstances of the state of emergency.

Any of the following circumstances exist: 1) The state of emergency continues to directly impact the ability of the members to meet safely in person; 2) State or local officials continue to impose or recommend measures to promote social distancing.

Original Policy: 09/26/2013

Revised Policy: 11/12/2021