Madison Metropolitan School District board enters closed session to review individual student disciplinary matters

A board member moved that the Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education go into closed session pursuant to Wisconsin statutes cited on the record, for the purpose of reviewing disciplinary proceedings and decisions involving individual students. Board Member Pearson seconded the motion.

The board conducted a roll call and the motion carried unanimously. Board Member Moserfosa, Board Member Baldro, Board Member Vander Meelen, Board Member Castro and Board Member Pierson each responded “Aye” during the roll call; the presiding member also voted “Aye.” After the count, the presiding member said, “We will go on to closed session.”

The motion cited Wisconsin Statute 19.85 and additional statutes relating to student disciplinary matters as the legal basis for closing the meeting; the transcript of the meeting records a garbled citation after 19.85 (the board read additional statutory references aloud that were not clearly transcribed). The board did not state any other actions, findings or sanctions on the public record before moving into closed session.

The special meeting opened with that motion and the board immediately moved to the closed portion; no further substantive discussion or decisions were recorded in the public portion of the transcript provided. The transcript does not include a date, time, or further public statements about the specific students or cases to be discussed in closed session.

Minutes or an official statement released by the Madison Metropolitan School District after the closed session would be the proper source for any formal actions taken in closed session; those outcomes were not in the public transcript provided.