Nash County school board waives remote-participation rule, moves into closed session on personnel

The Nash County Public Schools Board of Education voted to waive provisions of its remote participation policy, adopt the meeting agenda and enter a closed session to discuss confidential personnel matters and consult with the board’s attorney.

Board members approved the procedural motions by voice vote. The motion to waive parts of the remote participation policy was made by Mr. Week and seconded by Mr. Quickfield; the motion carried on an affirmative voice vote. A separate motion to adopt the meeting agenda was made by Mr. Weeks and seconded by Mr. Whitfield; that motion also carried by voice vote.

The board then approved a motion to go into closed session to consider matters exempt from the open meetings law. The motion, recorded in the meeting transcript as moved by Mr. Whitfield and seconded by Mr. Owens, cited North Carolina General Statutes §143-318.11(a)(1), (a)(3), (a)(5) and (a)(6) to prevent disclosure of confidential personnel files and to consult with the board’s attorney, and N.C. Gen. Stat. §115C-321 regarding matters related to initial employment of an individual employee. The recorded outcome was approval by voice vote; the public transcript contains no roll-call tally or further public discussion of the substance of personnel matters.

A roll call at the start of the meeting showed the following members present: Mr. Edwards, Mr. Gray, Dr. Chavis, Ricky James, Mr. Wheat, Mr. Dunn, Mr. Bussey and Dr. Washington. The transcript does not record any public comment or substantive discussion of personnel matters before the board entered closed session.

The board’s citations to the statutes indicate the board relied on exceptions to North Carolina’s open meetings law for personnel confidentiality and attorney consultation. The meeting transcript ends with the board entering closed session; no subsequent public actions or votes were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.