Open Meetings Act

LSAT meetings are subject to the Open Meetings Act (OMA - D.C. Official Code §§ 2-571 TO 2-580) and the District of Columbia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). With the exception of certain specified confidential matters, LSAT meetings are open to observers, and all minutes will be posted on the school’s website or otherwise made available to the school community within 3 school days following the meeting. Observers may attend meetings in a non-voting capacity and are allowed to participate in meetings at the discretion of the Local School Advisory Team. (An observer may be asked to leave a meeting if their behavior is deemed by LSAT members to be inappropriate and/or disruptive.)

Here is a helpful one-pager on OMA compliance for LSATs. See below for further details.

Providing Notice of Upcoming Meetings:
LSATs must publish a schedule of their meetings at the beginning of the year and must provide as much advance notice to their school community as possible, but not less that 48 hours or two business days, whichever is greater, before every meeting. Notice of the meeting schedule and individual meetings must be made publicly available by: 

• physically posting notices in the school

• electronically posting notice via the school’s website or listserv

• and publishing in the District of Columbia Register (DC Register) -- see below for instructions

Notice must include:

• Time

• Date

• Location

• Proposed Agenda

• If there will be a Closed Session, notice must include the OMA Citation and state the reason justifying the Closure.

The following statement MUST be included at the end of all Meeting Agendas:

“This meeting is governed by the Open Meetings Act. Please address any questions or complaints arising under this meeting to the Office of Open Government at opengovoffice@dc.gov"

Publishing Meeting Schedules and Notices in the DC Register

• Decide which LSAT member will be responsible for publication in the DC Register.

• Provide the name and email address of the responsible individual to the Office of General Counsel by sending an email to dcpsregs@dc.gov by October 15.

• The responsible individual will receive account information that allows them access to the DC Register database to publish the schedules and meeting notices, along with instructions on publishing the notices.

Meeting Minutes and Recordings:
Meeting minutes should be made public via the following procedures: 

• Within 1 school day, the secretary distributes minutes to team members and the principal.

• Within 1 school day of receiving the minutes from the secretary, team members may comment on the minutes to improve accuracy. Failure to respond shall be taken as assumed confirmation of the accuracy of the minutes.

• Within 3 school days of the meeting, after approval by the LSAT members and principal, the minutes will be posted on the school’s website and/or otherwise made available to the school community.

• In addition to the requirement to post meeting minutes within 3 school days, a full record of the meeting, including any existing electronic recording of the meeting, must be made publicly available within 7 school days of the meeting. Note: Electronic recordings are not required to be proactively posted. However, if someone requests an electronic recording of a meeting, it must be made available no later than 7 school days of the LSAT meeting.

• Once approved, and not later than 7 school days after the meeting date, the minutes, or notice that they were publicly posted, must also be provided to the DCPS Office of Engagement and Partnerships by emailing ceo.info@k12.dc.gov

• Minutes may also be distributed via school newsletter, listserv, or other means that the Local School Advisory Team deems fit.

When feasible, LSATs shall electronically record all meetings whether open or closed. Detailed meeting minutes and/or electronic recordings shall be retained for 5 years.

Freedom of Information Act
Since LSATs operate as an extension of DCPS, all documents created and maintained by individual LSATs are subject to release pursuant to the District of Columbia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). LSAT Chairs and members shall cooperate with DCPS Central Office staff in providing any LSAT records that are responsive to a FOIA request. To facilitate the production of documents in response to a FOIA request, LSAT Chairs should ensure that a copy of all LSAT documents are provided to and retained by an LSAT member who is also a DCPS employee. With the exception of meeting minutes (which should be retained for 5 years), LSAT documents shall be retained through the end of the current school year or until no longer needed by the LSAT.

Engaging the Community:
LSATs shall establish rules for open meetings and for dispersing information on meeting discussions in order to create transparency and trust within the school community. Options include but are not limited to:

• • Setting aside a portion of the meeting time to take comments and/or questions from observers;

  • Regularly including a report on the most recent Local School Advisory Team meeting on the agenda of the parent organization’s general meetings; and

  • Holding quarterly community meetings in order to provide an update for the larger school community.

Closed Meetings
Particularly when discussing school budget implications, Local School Advisory Teams occasionally have the need to discuss sensitive and confidential personnel information. The principal will set clear expectations at these junctures and explicitly inform team members when discussion topics must be kept confidential. At these times, team members must abide by the principal’s judgment to operate as a closed meeting and keep the discussion confidential. Before holding a closed meeting, the LSAT must first meet in public and vote in favor of conducting a closed meeting and the subject of the closed meeting must be made publicly available. 

Protocol for a Closed Session:

1) Open the Public Meeting and Establish a Quorum

2) Move to Enter into Executive Session / Second (Motion Must incl. Reference to OMA Citation, to Justify Closed/Executive Session)

3) Take Roll Call Vote -- and if Motion Passes, Enter into Executive Session

4) Only Discuss the Matter(s) referenced in the Draft Agenda

5) Record what is discussed in Executive Session

6) Re-Open the Public Meeting, when appropriate report publicly any official action taken in closure, and Adjourn

FAQs:  

How Do We Cancel ?

A Meeting Cancelation is a Change in Schedule. In Most Instances, Requires as Much Notice to the Public as Possible, But Not Less Than 48 Hours or 2 Business Days, Whichever is Greater, Before Meeting was to Occur. To Establish a Record the Meeting Notice to the Public Must State "Cancelled"

Can We Hold an Electronic Meeting?

A Public Body Can Meet via Video, Electronic, Conference, or Other Electronic Means If:

1. Reasonable Arrangements are Made to Accommodate Public’s Right to Attend;
2. Meeting Must Be Recorded;
3. All Votes are Taken by Roll Call; and
4. All Provisions of the OMA are Adhered To

Can We Hold an Emergency Meeting?

Yes, a Public Body may meet in case of an emergency. Presiding officer must:

1. Notice Must Be Given to the Public at the Same Time it is Given to the Members;
2. Open the Meeting with a Statement Explaining the Subject of the Meeting;
3. Explain the Nature of the Emergency; and
4. Explain How Public Notice was Provided.

Other Questions? Contact OOG: opengovoffice@dc.gov

For more information, see this slide deck: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_WudwKwDAL7hGWGtVmEIiqkKHjgZIQ38/view?usp=share_link