Board Meetings
Under Texas law, a school board can act only by a majority vote at a meeting held in compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act. The following are resources related to conducting board meetings, including complying with the Texas Open Meetings Act, conducting open and closed meetings, and permitting public comment.
Open Meetings
Closed Meetings
Public Comment
Open Meetings
Related Policies
Your local school board policy manual contains TASB's (LEGAL) reference policies and board-adopted (LOCAL) policies. Your district may also have relevant administrative regulations. For more information on open meetings, see your district policy manual at the following codes:
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Board Meetings |
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News Coverage |
TASB Resources
- TASB Legal Services' Open Meetings Act - Voting answers frequently asked questions about voting at a school board meeting.
- TASB Legal Services' Regular Meeting Notice/Agenda Form and Sample is a sample posting that gives boards maximum flexibility within the bounds of the Texas Open Meetings Act (OMA) notice requirements.
- TASB Legal Services' Emergency Meeting Notice/Agenda Form and Sample provides a sample emergency posting that complies with OMA notice requirements.
- TASB Legal Services' article Trustees and Technology provides a brief overview of legal issues raised by board members' use of e-mails, computers, and cell phones.
- TASB Legal Services offers reference materials, available for sale in the TASB Store, that cover various aspects of the OMA, including Open Meetings Act Basics, When Does the Open Meetings Act Apply?, and Board Member Communications.
- TASB Legal Services' School Official's Quick Guide to the Texas Open Meetings Act, available for sale in the TASB Store, is a convenient flip chart that covers the basics of the OMA.
- TASB Legal Services' School Official’s Guide to Texas Open Meetings Act, available for sale in the TASB Store, is a full-length book on the OMA that explains legal interpretations of the Act by the courts and the Texas Attorney General.
- TASB Legal Services' Introduction to the Texas Open Meetings Act, available for sale in the TASB Store, is a one-hour training video that satisfies board members' open meetings training requirement and has been approved by the Texas Attorney General.
- TASB Legal Services' Open Government Training Package, available for sale in the TASB Store, includes two training DVDs to help school officials with open government compliance, An Introduction to the Open Meetings Act and An Introduction to the Texas Public Information Act.
- TASB Leadership Team Services offers guidance on leading effective meetings, including parliamentary procedure and board activity calendars.
- TASB BoardBook offers FAQs about paperless agendas and meetings.
Other Resources
- The Texas Attorney General's Open Meetings Act Handbook (2010) details the Texas Open Meetings Act (OMA) and related cases and attorney general (AG) opinions.
- The AG's Open Meetings Act Made Easy (2008) provides an overview of the OMA.
- The AG's Open Government Training Information Web Site includes free OMA training videos and related information for governmental officials.
- The Texas Department of Information Resources publishes the Video Conferencing Guidelines with which school boards must comply in order to meet by video conference.
- The Robert’s Rules of Order Web Site includes answers to frequently asked questions about Robert’s Rules, a question and answer forum, and the author’s official interpretations of the rules.
Closed Meetings
Related Policies
For more information on closed meetings, see your district policy manual at the following code:
TASB Resources
- TASB Legal Services' Closed Meeting Topics answers frequently asked questions about the closed meeting exceptions to the Texas Open Meetings Act (OMA).
- TASB Legal Services' Closed Meeting Records answers frequently asked questions about who can access closed meeting records.
- TASB Legal Services' Attendance at Closed Meetings answers frequently asked questions about who can attend closed sessions during a board meeting.
- TASB Legal Services' Certified Agenda Form and Sample gives Texas school boards a template for compliance with the OMA requirement that boards document closed meetings.
- TASB Legal Services offers reference materials, available for sale in the TASB Store, that cover various aspects of the OMA, including Closed Meetings.
Other Resources
Public Comment
Related Policies
For more information on public comment, see your district policy manual at the following code:
TASB Resources
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TASB Legal Services'
Public Comment answers frequently asked questions about when and how boards can hear public comments from citizens during board meetings.
Other Resources
- The Robert's Rules of Order Web Site includes answers to frequently asked questions about Robert's Rules, a question and answer forum, and the author's official interpretations of the rules.