Schools

New law requiring school boards to record meetings goes into effect

A new law requiring school boards to record meetings to increase transparency and accessibility went into effect at the beginning of this year.

The Education Board Transparency Act (Senate Bill 1502) requires the boards of public school districts, community colleges, and universities to video record their meetings and upload them for public viewing online within a week after the public session.

In an informational about the bill, Senate President Rob Wagner, co-chief sponsor, wrote that during the pandemic, many more school districts began streaming their meetings online and allowing virtual participation so parents, teachers and students could stay engaged.

However, working parents who couldn’t watch the meeting live would still miss out on critical information since every school district did not upload their previous meetings.

Requiring school districts to post prior meetings allows people to look back and see what the boards discussed despite their busy schedules.

Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, co-sponsor of the legislation, said she signed on to the bill because she believed increasing accessibility to government processes at all levels would lead to greater public accountability and transparency.

“We need more of this,” she said, “which is why I am pleased to have voted in favor of this bill.”

In February, Jake Arnold, with the Oregon School Boards Association, wrote that the legislation would not change much for many districts and that it overlapped existing law. He said the bill was a “symptom of the Legislature’s and the public’s wanting to know more about what schools are doing – and ultimately to hold school districts more accountable.”

For some school districts, including the Nyssa School District, the requirement does not change any of the district’s practices, according to Ryan Hawkins, the district’s superintendent.

Hawkins said the school district live streams its public meetings on its YouTube channel.

The Ontario School District, the county’s largest school district, maintains a YouTube channel. The district does not stream its meetings on YouTube in real-time but typically appears to post them on its channel about a month after the meeting.

Taryn Smith, the district’s communications manager, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

For other districts, like Vale, the requirement prompted the board to purchase new equipment to meet the requirement by the deadline. Alisha McBride, the district’s superintendent, said it was a Wednesday, Jan. 8 meeting, during which the board posted a video recording of its proceedings on the district’s website.

Malheur County Education Service District Superintendent Mark Redmond said its board would have audio recordings of its meetings on its website within a week after the meeting. Adrian School District Superintendent Nick Ketterling said the board would also have audio recordings on the district’s website.

Anne Marie Kelso, the executive director of legal and operations at Treasure Valley Community College, said before the law changed, the college’s Board of Directors had not recorded meetings. She said the board will begin recording and posting its meetings on the college’s website.

Under the new law, school districts with fewer than 50 students, such as Juntura and McDermitt, are exempt from the requirement. The law also exempts executive, or closed sessions from posting the recordings.

State law explicitly allows a public body – including boards of public school districts – to meet privately in an executive session — where the public is barred, and reporters are instructed not to report on the proceedings — only in certain narrowly defined circumstances. The statute also clarifies that no final action or decision can be made during an executive session.

News tip? Send your information to Steven Mitchell at  [email protected].

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