Tabernacle Township Board votes 9-0 to enter closed executive session citing public-safety exemptions

The Tabernacle Township School District Board of Education voted unanimously March 16 to enter a closed executive session to discuss matters the board said are exempt from public disclosure under New Jersey law.

Resolution 26-018, introduced during the board’s special meeting, invoked N.J.S.A. 10:4-12 and specifically cited “any tactics and techniques utilized in protecting the safety and property of the public, provided that their disclosure could impair such protection.” The motion to adopt the resolution was made by Board Member Tracy Betts and seconded by Board Member Christina Wolfrom; the roll call was recorded as 9-0-0 in favor.

The resolution text in the minutes also stated the board would reconvene at approximately 8:20 p.m. following the closed session and that discussion may be made public at a later time if the board attorney advises disclosure would not be detrimental to district interests. The minutes record the public session resuming at 8:19 p.m.

No substantive details of the closed-session discussion were included in the minutes; the resolution explicitly directs the Board Secretary to take steps to exclude the public for the stated exempt matters, consistent with the Open Public Meetings Act. The minutes do not list any further formal actions taken in public following the closed session.

The meeting minutes were prepared and submitted by Patricia Palmieri, School Business Administrator/Board Secretary.