Suzette Cook
Alachua County Public School Superintendent Karen Clarke will recommend that the school board adopt a virtual meeting policy at the April 14th meeting.
The School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) will convene at 2 p.m. to review Emergency Policy 00165ER-2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All meetings of the Board during the state of emergency may be conducted by teleconferencing, video conferencing or other technological means,” the policy states.
“The Board meeting and Agenda Items associated with any meeting during this COVID-19 emergency period may be substantially curtailed or reduced in scope to Consent and Action Items to facilitate the completion of the Board’s business during these meetings.”
According to the policy, “The requirement in Board Policy 0169.1 to allow for public comment on items not on the agenda is waived during the COVID-19 emergency period. However, if time and technology allow, 30 minutes may be set aside at the end of the business meeting for public input on non-agenda items. Members of the public may still contact Board Members with issues or concerns at other times by emailing boardmembers@gm.sbac.edu.
The policy will also address public access and participation as “guided by current public health advisories and guidance from local, state, and national health officials in this process.”
It also allows the requirement that a quorum be present in person and that the meeting be held in a specific public place.
The policy will be in place for 90 days and also allows for the Board to authorize the Board Chair and Superintendent to execute Board actions and documents by electronic signature.
The next regular SBAC meeting is scheduled for April 21st at 6 p.m.
The view the policy, go here.