Three Things To Know About New School Board Meeting Requirements

New legislation passed this session makes significant changes to how and when Texas school boards can meet and take action. These updates affect notice posting, meeting schedules, and recording requirements — all central to how trustees govern.

“Clear guidelines are essential to ensure that trustees can carry out their duties effectively and in compliance with the law,” said Mark Tilley, division director of TASB Legal Services. “As school boards work to navigate these new meeting requirements, TASB Legal Services is here to provide the assistance and guidance needed to stay on track.”

Here are three important changes to board meetings school board members need to know:

1. Posting Deadlines Now Require Three Business Days’ Notice.

For decades, the Texas Open Meetings Act (OMA) required school boards to post notice of a meeting at least 72 hours in advance of the time of the meeting. That changes Sept. 1, when House Bill 1522 takes effect.

• Notices must now be posted at least three business days before the meeting date.
• “Business days” aren’t defined in statute, but it is reasonable to assume they exclude weekends and holidays.
• The day of posting and the meeting date do not count.

Example: Previously, a board could post notice by Friday at 5 p.m. for a meeting scheduled for the following Monday at 5 p.m. Under the new rule, that same Monday meeting now must be posted the Tuesday before.

This means districts may need to prepare for meetings earlier than they are accustomed to. Note: The one-hour notice for emergency meetings still applies, but the standard for what qualifies as an emergency remains high.

2. Meetings Must Be Held Outside “Typical Work Hours.”

Senate Bill 12 requires school boards to adopt a parental engagement policy that, among other things, ensures board meetings are scheduled outside “typical work hours.”

• The law does not directly prohibit daytime meetings; it essentially requires each district to define “typical work hours” locally.
• Boards should engage parents and communities in identifying what times best support participation.
• This requires a shift in focus from trustee convenience to parent accessibility.

Because every district’s circumstances vary, work hours may look different across the state. What matters most is thoughtful, transparent policy development with community input.

3. Meetings Must Be Recorded, and Votes Must Be Documented.

Senate Bill 413 expands meeting documentation requirements for all school districts:

• Minutes and resolutions must be posted online within seven days of board approval.
• Every trustee’s vote must be individually recorded in the minutes.
• All boards, regardless of district size, must make a recording of each regular or special meeting.

Districts with 10,000 or more students still have to post video and audio recordings online. The new requirement is a change for smaller districts because it applies to all school districts, regardless of size. The statute does not specify that it must be a video recording, and the OMA defines “recording” to include audio or a combination of audio and video, so an audio only recording appears to be permitted. Further, rather than posting the recording online, the statute states that these recordings must be available for public inspection and copying on request. 

These legislative changes establish new requirements for how school boards provide notice, schedule meetings, and document their actions. Administrators and boards will need to prepare for meetings earlier, consider parent accessibility when setting meeting times, and ensure detailed records of meetings are maintained.

Learn more about the requirements for school board meetings by visiting the TASB School Law eSource Library:

• Open Meetings Act - Basic Principles
• Open Meetings Act - Meeting Notice
• Open Meetings Act - Open Meeting Records
• Open Meetings Act - Voting

TASB Legal Services is available through its Legal Line to help districts understand and implement these requirements effectively. Calls are answered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. most business days, toll-free, at 800-580-5345.