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Home My WebLink About2018-06-13 School Committee Minutes N FR Town of Reading RECEIVED. Meeting Minutes WN CLERK s39+lNCOR40� . Board - Committee - Commission - Council: 2018 jUH 18 Phi 3= 17 School Committee Date: 2018-06-13 Time: 7:00 PM Building: School - Memorial High Location: Superintendent Conference Room Address: 82 Oakland Road Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session Version: Draft Attendees: Members - Present: Chuck Robinson, Sherri Vanden Akker, Nick Boivin, Jeanne Borawski, Linda Snow Dockser, and Elaine Webb Members - Not Present: Others Present: Superintendent John Doherty, Attorney Colby Brunt and Attorney Mike Long Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: ,Linda Engelson on behalf of the Chair Topics of Discussion: I. Call to Order Chair Robinson called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. Mrs. Webb moved,seconded by Mrs. Borawski,to enter executive session to discuss strategies with respect to pending litigation on an open meeting law complaint,to discuss parent complaints brought against the Superintendent of Schools and to return to oyen'session at approximately 9:00 p.m. The roll call vote carried 6-0. Mr.Boivin;Dr. Vanden Akker,Mrs. Webb,Dr. Snow Dockser,Mrs. Borawski and Mr. Robinson. The meeting adjourned at 7:07 p.m. Meeting reconvened in open session at 10:00 p.m. Dr. Doherty and Attorney Long were not present. Mrs. Webb.reported that in Executive Session the School Committee determined they did not violate the Open Meeting Law as described in the complaint filed by Reading resident Rebecca Liberman on June 6, 2018; and'has directed Legal Counsel, Colby Brunt,to respond to the complainant and the Attorney General's Office as required by the process. II. Adjournment Adjourn Page 1 1 Dr. Vanden Akker moved, seconded by Dr. Snow Dockser to adjourn. The motion carried 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 10:05 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. J F. Dohert , Ed.D. Page 2 The Commonwealth.of.Massachusetts . Office of the Attorney General One AshburtonPlace Boston,Massachusetts 02108 (ID OPEN MEETING LAW COMPLAINT FORM Instructions for completing the Open Meeting Law Complaint Form . . The Attorney General's Division of Open Government interprets and�enforcesthe Open Meeting Law,Chapter 30A of the Massachusetts General Laws,Sections 18-25.Below is the procedure for filing and responding to an Open Meeting Law complaint. Instructions for filing a complaint: o Fill out the attached two-page form completely and sign it.File the complaint with the public.body within 30 days of the alleged violation.If the violation was not reasonably discoverable at the time it occurred,you must file the complaint within 30 days of the date the violation was reasonably discoverable.A violation that. occurs during an.open session of a-meeting is reasonably_discoverable on the date of the meeting. o To file the complaint: o For a local or municipal public body,you must submit a copy of the complaint to the chair of the public body AND to the municipal clerk. .- o For all other public bodies,you must submit a copy of the complaint to the chair of the public body. o Complaints may be filed by mail,email,or by hand.Please retain a copy for your records. o If the public body does not respond within 14 business days and does not request an extension to respond, contact the Division for further assistance. Instructions fora public body that.receives a complaint: o The chair must disseminate the complaint to the members of the public body. o The public body must meet to review the complaint within 14 business days(usually 20-22 calendar days). o After,review,but within 14 business days,the public-body-must respond to the complaint in writing and must send.the complainant a response and a description.of any action the public body has taken to address it.At the same time,the body must send the Attorney.General a copy of the response.The public body may delegate this responsibility to its counsel or a staff member,but only after it has met to review the complaint. o If'a public body requires more.time to review the complaint and respond,it may request an extension of time for good cause by contacting the Division of Open Government. Once the public body has.responded to the complaint: . o If you are not satisfied with that the public body's response to your complaint,you may file a copy of the complaint with the Division by mail,a-mail,or by hand,but only once you.have waited for 30 days after filing the complaint with the public body. o When you file your complaint with the Division,please include the complaint form and all documentation relevant to the alleged violation.You may'wish to attach a cover letter explaining why the public body's response.does not adequately address your complaint.. o The Division will not review complaints filed with us more than 90 days after the violation,unless we granted . an extension to the.public.body or you can demonstrate good cause for the delay. If you have questions concerning the Open Meeting Law complaint process,we encourage you to contact the Division_of Open Government by phone at(6.17)963-2540 or by e-mail at openmeeting@state.ma.us. OPEN MEETING LAW COMPLAINT-TO IJ 1 �.Q 'Office of the Attorney Gerkwq CL E k K One Ashburton Place R EA{^�( ,, A. Boston;MA 02108 288 JUN -5 PM. Please note that all fields are required unless otherw se noted. Your Contact Information: First Name: Rebecca last Name: Liberman Address: SO Pratt St. City: Reading State: MA Zip Code:01867 Phone Number: +1.(781)444-1g5o Ext. -Email: rfllberman@verizon.net Organization or Media Affiliation(if any); Are you filing the complaint in your capacity as an individual,representative of an organization,or media? (For statisticai purposes only) 0 Individual 0 Organization Media Public Body that is the subject of this complaint: 0 City/Town Q County 0 Regional/District State Name of Public Body Cncluding city/ town,county or region,if applicable): School Committee .Specific person(s),if any,you allege committed the violation: Date ofalleged violation; May 7,2018 Page 1 i i Description of alleged violation:= ! Describe the.alleged violation that this complaint is about.Ifyou believe the alleged violation was intentional,please say so and include• the reasons supporting your belief. Note:This text field has a maximum of 3006 characters. Presentation that was not on the agenda(District Improvement Plan Superintendent's Goals End of Year Update).Agenda only said the following under New Business;"Superintendent Evaluation Process Introduction" In addition,the original packet from Friday May 4 did not include this presentation.' What action do you want the public body to take In-res ponse.to your complaint? Note:Thls text field has a maxirnum of 500 characters i would li, e a public hearing to be held on-the District Improvement Plan Superintendent's Goals_End of Year Update,and l would like thereto be notification of this 48 business-day hours In advance In accordance with Open Meeting Law.]would'also like the superintendent's performance evaluation to be . postponed until after this public hearing takes place so that the public can,ask questions at this hearing.: . Review,sign,and submit your complaint . d.g[adosure of Vour G91�t1Altu PubNc Record,Under most circumstances,your complaint,and any:documents submitted with your complaint;is considered a public record and will be available to any member of the public upon request. Publication to Website:'As part of the Open Data Initiative,the AGO will publish to its website certain information regarding your complaint; . Including your name and the name of the public body. The AGO will not publish your contact Information. IL R{ggi�llh-d Erl��d4lG , The AGO cannoEgive you legal advice and is not able to be your.private attorney,but represents the public interest,If you have any questions concerning your individual legal.rights or responsibilities you should contact a private attorney. III.S.�hmEtY-Q�ir S��pe�o u The complaint must be filed first With the public body. if you have any questions,please contact the Division of open Government by calling . (617)963-2540 or byemail to.openmeeting�ustate:nta.us,-. By signing below;I acknowledge that I have read and understood the provislom above and certify that the information I have provided is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. Signed.. ate, 4I�., j Page 2. R ��