Section 2:15
Attendance at Board Meeting by Means Other Than Physical Presence
1. Conditions for Attendance by Other Means
If a quorum is physically present, a majority of the Board of Education may allow a Board member to attend the meeting by means other than physical presence (“other means”, defined as by video or audio conference) if the member is prevented from physically attending because of:
- personal illness or disability;
- employment purposes or business of the Board of Education; or
- a family or other emergency.
2. Procedures for Authorizing Attendance by Other Means
The following procedures are required before a Board member is authorized to attend a Board meeting by other means, by either video or audio conference:
- Notice to the Board Secretary (or his/her designee) and the Board President. The member must notify the Board Secretary (or his/her designee) and the Board President via voice or written notification (including, but not limited to fax or electronic) at least twenty-four hours prior to the meeting which the member desires to attend by other means, unless advance notice is impractical. The notice shall identify the reason the member cannot be physically present at the meeting in accordance with the above Section 1 of this Policy. If the member is unable to give the required notice at least 24 hours prior to the meeting, the member shall notify the Board Secretary (or his/her designee) and the Board President as soon as reasonably practicable. In such cases, the member is required to complete and submit the Notification for Attendance by Other Means form as soon as is practicable.
- Determination of Authorization of Attendance by Other Means. Upon receipt of notice in accordance with the above Subsection 2(A), the Board Secretary shall promptly forward the notice to the President of the Board of Education. After establishing that a quorum of the Board of Education is physically present at the meeting at which a member has requested to attend by other means, the Board President shall state that (i) a notice was received from a member of the Board of Education in accordance with this Policy, and (ii) the member will be deemed authorized to attend the meeting by other means unless a motion objecting to the member’s attendance is made, seconded, and approved by a majority vote of the members of the Board of Education physically present at the meeting. If no such motion is made and seconded, or if any such motion fails to achieve the required vote by the members of the Board of Education physically present at the meeting, then the request by the member to attend the meeting by other means shall be deemed approved by the Board of Education and the Board President shall declare the requesting member present. After such declaration by the Board President, the question of a member’s attendance by other means may not be reconsidered.
3. Special Rules for Meetings Involving Attendance by Other Means
A meeting of the Board of Education which any member has been authorized to attend by other means in accordance to Section II of this Policy must be conducted in accordance with the following special rules, in addition to any other applicable rules and procedures of the Board of Education:
- Roll Call and Quorum. A quorum of the Board of Education must be physically present at the meeting. Following the call of the roll, and at the conclusion of the procedures set forth in Section 2(B) of this Policy, the Board President shall identify each member who is attending the meeting by other means.
- Identification and Recognition of Members Attending by Other Means. Any member attending by other means must identify himself or herself prior to speaking and must be recognized by the Board President prior to addressing matters before the Board of Education.
- Public Access to Meeting. The speech of a member attending by other means will be amplified in such a manner that it shall be generally audible to members of the Board of Education and the public who are physically present at the meeting. Also, any video image of a member attending by other means shall be projected in such a manner that the member's video image shall be generally visible and audible to members of the Board of Education and the public who are physically present at the meeting. In addition, the votes of any member of the Board of Education attending by other means shall be generally audible at the location where such meeting is being held and expressly acknowledged by the Board President.
- Protocols for Closed Session Meetings. When a member attends a closed meeting by other means, the member's speech shall be generally audible to all members of the Board of Education who are physically present at the meeting, and the audio recording of the meeting required by the Act shall incorporate the speech of the member attending the closed meeting by other means. Members not physically present who are participating in a closed portion of the meeting shall maintain confidentiality of the proceedings by ensuring that no one else is present with the off-site Board member while he/she is participating in the closed portion of the meeting.
- Minutes. The minutes of each meeting of the Board of Education shall identify which of the members of the Board were physically present and, if applicable, which members of the Board attended by other means, and their means of attendance. The minutes shall also reflect the reason for a member's attendance by other means (as described in Section 1 of this Policy), the fact that there was no valid objection to such attendance pursuant to this Policy, and the other means by which the member attended the meeting.
4. Effect of Attendance by Other Means
A member attending a meeting of a Board of Education by other means shall be considered present at the meeting and entitled to vote on any matter before the Board of Education as if the member were physically present at the meeting, provided that the member's attendance at the meeting by other means complies with the terms of this Policy.
LEGAL REFERENCE | 5 ILCS 120/7 |
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REVIEW HISTORY | 2006, May 2016 |