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Board conditionally approves reinstatement petition for "Student A" after closed FERPA session
Summary
After a closed session under Section 8(h) of the Open Meetings Act to discuss an education record protected by FERPA, the board voted 6-0 to approve the reinstatement petition for "Student A" contingent on an agreement with the Reinstatement Committee's recommended contract terms.
The West Branch-Rose City Area Schools Board of Education met in closed session on Aug. 18, 2025, under Section 8(h) of the Michigan Open Meetings Act to consider a matter involving an education record protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The board entered closed session at 6:14 p.m. and reconvened at 6:42 p.m.
After reconvening, Trustee Alan Withers and Trustee Scott Kartes moved to approve the petition to reinstate "Student A," conditional on the student and guardian entering into an agreement with the contract terms recommended by the Reinstatement Committee. The minutes record the motion as: "Withers/Biermann moved to approve the petition to reinstate Student A, conditional upon the student and guardian entering into agreement with the contract terms recommended by the Reinstatement Committee, as presented." The motion carried unanimously, 6-0.
Because the item involved an education record and the board explicitly cited FERPA in moving to a closed session, the public minutes contain only the limited details recorded above. The board did not publish the committee's contract terms in the public minutes; those terms and any subsequent agreement are confidential under FERPA unless disclosure is authorized by the student’s guardian.
