Berkeley Heights Board adjourns to executive session to discuss superintendent matters, returns and adjourns

The Berkeley Heights Board of Education voted to move into executive session to discuss matters related to the superintendent and later returned to public session before adjourning.

The board’s presiding officer cited the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act (N.J.S.A. 10:4-6) in a formal resolution setting out the permissible confidential topics, including personnel, pending or anticipated litigation, and attorney-client privileged matters. The board’s statement said minutes of those discussions would be disclosed when confidentiality is no longer applicable.

Chair stated, "The board will be in executive session for approximately one and a half hours." A motion to adjourn to executive session was made and the record shows Dr. Forager was thanked after the motion and Mrs. Khanna was thanked after the second, indicating Dr. Forager moved and Mrs. Khanna seconded; the board approved the motion by voice vote and the Chair noted the time as 6:02 p.m.

When the board returned to public session, the record indicates Kelly moved to return and Natasha seconded; the motion passed on a voice vote. During the public-comment portion the board read the rules governing public remarks (speakers must state name and residence or school, remarks are limited to three minutes and comments on personnel matters are discouraged). The transcript reflects there were no members of the public in attendance and no online commenters during the public forum.

The meeting concluded when a motion to adjourn was moved by Tom and seconded by Natasha; the board passed the motion by voice vote and adjourned. No substantive public discussion or board votes on policy items are recorded in the public portion of the transcript.

The board cited the Open Public Meetings Act as the legal basis for holding portions of the session in private and said it would disclose minutes from the executive session if and when confidentiality no longer applies.