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Board announces Open Meetings Compliance Board opinion finding a procedural violation; pledges to implement guidance
Summary
The board announced an Open Meetings Compliance Board opinion that found a procedural violation related to how the board recessed and conferred with counsel; the president said the board will implement the compliance board's guidance and improve practices.
During the president's report, the board disclosed that the Maryland Open Meetings Compliance Board issued an opinion finding a procedural violation related to a prior recess where members conferred with counsel.
The president summarized the compliance board's determination: because the board had convened a quorum and was discussing public business when it recessed, subsequent side conversations and conferrals with counsel "were part of the body's deliberative process" and should have been handled either in open session or by taking the formal steps required for a closed session, including a vote and a written closing statement. The president said the compliance board opinion is listed as "19 OMCB opinion 347" and directed the public to the Attorney General's website for the full text.
"They found that there was a violation in how we recessed that day," the president said, and added that the board, the superintendent, and staff take open‑meetings obligations seriously and will implement the compliance board's guidance.
No board votes were taken on the opinion itself; the statement was made to satisfy the statutory requirement to promptly announce the outcome and summarize the opinion for the public.
