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203.1 School Board Procedures; Rules of Order

Policy 203.1 - School Board Procedures; Rules of Order

Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to provide Crosslake Community School with specific rules of order to conduct meetings of the school board.

General Statement of Policy

To ensure that school board meetings are conducted in an orderly fashion, the school board will follow rules of order which will allow the school board:

  1. To establish guidelines by which the business of the school board can be conducted in a regular and internally consistent manner;
  2. To organize the meetings so all necessary matters can be brought to the school board and decisions of the school board can be made in an orderly and reasonable manner;
  3. To insure that directors of the school board have the necessary information to make decisions on substantive issues and to insure adequate discussion of decisions to be made; and
  4. To ensure that meetings and actions of the school board are conducted so as to be informative to the staff and the public, and to produce a clear record of actions taken and decisions made.

Rules of Order

  1. School board directors need not rise to gain the recognition of the chair.
  2. A motion will be adopted or carried if it receives the affirmative votes of a majority of those actually voting on the matter. Abstentions are considered to be acquiescence to the vote of the majority.
  3. All motions that require a second shall receive a second prior to opening the issue for discussion of the school board. If a motion that requires a second does not receive a second, the chair may declare that the motion fails for lack of a second or may provide the second. If all directors are in person at the board meeting, motions and seconds will be called by ayes and nays. If board directors are remote, a full roll will be called for ayes and nays. Each motion and second shall be recorded in the minutes.
  4. The chair shall decide the order in which school board directors will be recognized to address an issue.
  5. An attempt should be made to alternate between pro and con positions if appropriate to the discussion.
  6. A director shall only speak to an issue after the director is recognized by the chair.
  7. The chair shall rule on all questions relating to motions and points of order brought before the school board.
  8. A ruling by the chair is subject to appeal to the full school board pursuant to Robert’s Rules of Order.
  9. The school board shall have authority to recognize any director of the audience regarding a request to be heard at the school board meeting. Directors of the public who wish to be heard shall follow school board procedures.
  10. The chair has the authority to declare a recess at any time for the purpose of restoring decorum to the meeting or for any other necessary purpose.
  11. The order in which names will be called for roll call votes will be determined by the school board.
  12. The chair has the same right and responsibility as each school board director to vote on all issues.
  13. The chair shall announce the result of each vote. The vote of each director, including abstentions, shall be recorded in the minutes. If the vote is unanimous, it may be reflected as unanimous in the minutes if the minutes also reflect the directors present.
  14. 203.1-1L.
  15. A majority of the voting directors of the school board constitute a quorum. The absence of a quorum may be raised by the chair or any director. Generally, any action taken in the absence of a quorum is null and void. The only legal actions the school board may take in the absence of a quorum are to fix the time at which to adjourn, to adjourn, to recess or to take measures to obtain a quorum.

Legal References: 

  • Minn. Stat. § 13D.01, Subd. 4 (Open Meeting Law)
  • Minn. Stat. § 122A.40 (Employment; Contracts; Termination)
  • Minn. Stat. § 123B.09, Subds. 6 and 7 (Boards of Independent School Districts)
  • Minn. Stat. § 126C.53 (Enabling Resolution; Form of Certificates of Indebtedness)
  • Minn. Stat. § 331A.01, Subd. 6 (Newspapers; Definitions)
  • Minn. Stat. § 331A.04, Subd. 6 (Newspapers; Exception to Designation Priority)
  • Minn. Stat. § 471.88 (Exceptions)

Cross References:

  • MSBA/MASA Model Policy 203 (Operation of the School Board – Governing Rules)
  • MSBA/MASA Model Policy 204 (Charter School Board Meeting Minutes)
  • MSBA/MASA Model Policy 206 (Public Participation in Charter School Board
  • Meetings/Complaints about Persons at Charter School Board Meetings and Data Privacy Considerations)

Download 203.1 School Board Procedures; Rules of Order Policy