OSBA counsel briefs Yellow Springs board on open‑meetings, policy limits and staff communication

Summary

Ohio School Boards Association counsel Jennifer Harden reviewed board responsibilities, the Open Meetings Act, public‑comment rules, property‑disposal limits and best practices for board‑staff communications with the Yellow Springs Exempted Village School Board. Members pressed for clearer packet timing and staff input mechanisms.

Jennifer Harden, senior deputy director for legal services at the Ohio School Boards Association, spent the afternoon with members of the Yellow Springs Exempted Village School Board reviewing the district’s policy framework and state law limits on board action.

Harden opened by clarifying her role: “I’m not your legal counsel. I’m here to provide you with information, resources,” and she emphasized that the board must distinguish between law, policy and administration in its decision making. She repeatedly framed a central rule: “The board of education can only do what the law says it can do,” and said the board exercises its authority mainly by adopting policies and resolutions that implement statutory requirements.

She walked the group through common governance topics that surfaced in earlier work sessions: what constitutes a policy and how policy adoption differs from routine resolutions; how emergency policies can be used; and examples where…

OSBA counsel briefs Yellow Springs board on open‑meetings, policy limits and staff communication

Summary

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