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Harford County school board waives public comment and moves into closed session over personnel and bargaining matters
Summary
On June 9 the Harford County Public Schools Board voted to waive public comment and to close its open session to discuss confidential personnel matters and potential bargaining negotiations, citing section 3-305(b)(19) of the Maryland Code.
The Harford County Public Schools Board of Education on Tuesday, June 9 voted to waive public comment and then moved into a closed session to discuss personnel issues and potential bargaining-unit negotiations.
President Page opened the meeting, asked attendees to mute their devices and asked Miss Raul to take roll call. Miss Raul recorded that Mrs. Arkaitis, Dr. Miller, Mrs. Miller, Vice President Sewell and Interim Superintendent Mack were present while Mrs. Perry, Mr. McVicker, Mrs. Bruce and Mrs. Alvarez were absent.
"The purpose of this open session is for the board to consider action regarding a potential closed session," President Page said, adding that the board first needed to decide whether to permit public comment. "The chair will entertain a motion to waive public comment in its entirety in light of the limited nature of this open session," she said.
Clerk Miss Raul responded, "I move to move the public comment." President Page seconded the motion. The board voted in favor; the transcript records the result as "Motion passes." The record does not include individual vote tallies or roll-call votes for that motion.
President Page cited the legal basis for closing the meeting: to "preserve the privacy and confidentiality of information discussed affecting specific positions and related budgetary implications" and "to maintain confidentiality of potential parameters, if any, of negotiation with bargaining units," referencing "section 3-305(b)(19) of the General Provisions Article of the Maryland Code."
The chair then "entertained a motion to close the session." The board voted in favor and moved into closed session; the transcript does not record who made or seconded the motion to close or any further public debate. Because both the subject matter and the statutory basis cited are confidential under state law, the record summarizes the board's actions but does not disclose substantive details of the closed discussion.
The board's action means details discussed in closed session will not appear in the public record except as required by law or future disclosure by the board.
