Souderton board approves November minutes after debate over public access to draft minutes

The Souderton Area School District Board of School Directors voted to approve item 8.2 — the draft minutes from its November meetings — after a prolonged discussion about whether draft minutes should be publicly available before formal approval.

Mrs. DeJazzo, the board member who asked to remove item 8.2 from the consent agenda for discussion, told the board she wanted the public to understand the process for drafting and approving minutes and said the board had an opportunity to review and suggest edits to draft minutes before approval. "So, the reason I wanna have a discussion is because I want the public to be aware of the process that takes place," DeJazzo said.

Superintendent Dr. Gallagher explained that draft minutes remain in draft form until the board approves them and therefore are not officially available until that approval. The district solicitor said the Sunshine Act requires that objections be noted in the minutes, but that noting objections is the extent of the legal obligation to the public record.

Board members debated whether other districts publish draft minutes and whether the board should change its practice; Mr. Taylor called for a roll-call vote to ensure clarity. The roll call recorded affirmative votes from Mr. Braun, Miss Budicoffer, Mrs. DeJazzo, Mr. Formica, Mr. Keith, Mr. Soussang, Miss Wheeler and Miss Wisser; the motion passed.

The vote followed a brief public-comment exchange in which speakers raised concerns about last-minute agenda changes and accessibility of materials. John Waldenberger, a public commenter, had urged clearer presentation of policy changes and better labeling of edits in posted documents so members of the public can follow revisions.

The board approved the rest of the consent agenda (items 8.3–8.12) by voice vote earlier in the meeting after removing item 8.2 for separate consideration. The superintendent had described the consent items as routine approvals covering minutes, financial statements, conference requests, personnel items, policy second reading and disposal of obsolete equipment.

The board did not adopt a new practice during this meeting to publish draft minutes prior to approval; the superintendent and solicitor reiterated that draft minutes are not official until the board approves them and that the Sunshine Act's duty is to note objections in the adopted minutes. The board did not set a date for changing the district's draft-minute policy at this session.