The Prince George's County Board of Education voted May 1 to close a virtual special meeting under "general provisions, article section 3-305(b), citations 1, 2, 7, 8, and 12" to review board appeals and oral arguments.

The board said the closed session was called because discussing appeals and employees' identities or ongoing or anticipated legal disputes in public could result in financial losses, reputational harm or legal consequences. The statement citing the statutory provisions was read on the record by the board chair.

At the start of the virtual meeting a quorum was confirmed with six members present. A roll-call vote recorded the following affirmative votes: Ms. Busestrauthers (Aye), Mr. Briggs (Aye), Mrs. Brown (Aye), Joyce McCants (Aye), Dr. Moss (Aye) and Miss Walker (Aye). The motion to close the meeting carried 6-0.

Board members were instructed to exit the current meeting link and immediately rejoin a separate special closed-session link on their calendars; staff said members would be placed in a waiting room and admitted by board staff. Several participants reported difficulty locating or accessing the second link and asked staff to resend it before the closed session resumed.

No appeals, oral arguments or other substantive matters were discussed in the public portion of the meeting excerpt. The board identified the topic for the closed session as review of board appeals and oral arguments and listed the statute citations noted above as authority for closing the meeting. The meeting record indicates the board then moved to the closed session as announced.