Laguna Beach board rejects moving public comment, approves agenda after reconsideration and moves to closed session

The Laguna Beach Unified School District board on Feb. 12 voted down a proposal to move non‑agenda public comments earlier in the meeting, approved the agenda after a motion to reconsider and then adjourned into closed session.

Member Kelly, identified in roll call exchanges as a board member, proposed relocating public comments on non‑agenda items from agenda item 13 to item 5, saying, "I move that we move public comments of non agenda items from number 13 to number 5 at the beginning of open session." The motion produced a 2–2 split while one member was not yet present; the presiding officer noted the tie and that the motion did not pass.

The motion mattered to some board members because the agenda was described as "very student heavy" and community members had asked the board to get to student‑facing issues sooner during the meeting. Dr. Glass, speaking for staff, told the board there were no staff changes to the agenda: "We do not."

After procedural discussion about how to proceed following the tie, the presiding officer moved to reconsider the earlier motion so the board could vote to adopt the agenda as presented. Following that motion and a second, the board approved the agenda by a 3–2 vote. The presiding officer announced, "So the motion carries 3 2."

Board leadership then confirmed there were no comment cards for closed session. Member Kelly moved to adjourn into closed session; the presiding officer called the vote in favor and declared, "My motion carries." Minutes show the board left open session for the closed session without taking further substantive votes in public.

The board opened the meeting at 5:05 p.m. and handled roll call before the motions. The agenda items referenced (including the placement of public comments and the decision to go into closed session) were procedural decisions; no ordinance, contract award, budget vote or new policy was adopted during the recorded open‑session actions.

The board did not record individual roll‑call votes by name in the transcript for these motions beyond the announced tallies (2–2 for the failed motion and 3–2 for the approved agenda). The presiding officer and staff indicated there were no changes to the agenda from staff and that no closed‑session comment cards had been received prior to adjournment.