Fort Sumner Municipal School District Open Meeting Resolution

Fort Sumner Municipal School District
OPEN MEETINGS RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Fort Sumner Municipal School District Board of Education met in regular session at the Testing Room located between the Central Office and the High School buildings on Monday, June 9, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.Re as required by law.
WHEREAS, Section 10-15-1(B) of the Open Meetings Act (NMSA 1978, Sections 10-15-1 to 10- 15-4) states that, except as may be otherwise provided in the Constitution or the provisions of the Open Meetings Act, all meetings of a quorum of the Board of Education held for the purpose of formulating public policy, including the development of personnel policy, rules or regulations, discussing public business or for the purpose taking any action within the authority of or the delegated authority of such body, are declared to be public meetings open to the public at all times; and
WHEREAS, any meetings subject to the Open Meetings Act at which the discussion or adoption of any proposed resolution, rule, regulation or formal action occurs shall be held only after reasonable notice to the public, and
WHEREAS, Section10-15-1(D) of the Open Meetings Act requires the Board of Education will determine annually what constitutes reasonable notice of its public meetings;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Fort Sumner Municipal School District Board of Education that:
1. All meetings shall be held at the Fort Sumner Municipal School District Testing Center or Designated Location at 6:00 p.m. or as indicated in the meeting notice.
2. Unless otherwise specified, regular meetings shall be held each month on the 2nd Monday of each month. A proposed agenda will be made available at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to the meeting by the Superintendent, whose office is located at the Fort Sumner Central Office at 1001 Sumner Avenue Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Agenda will also be available on Fort Sumner Schools web site.
3. Special meetings may be called by the President or a majority of the board members upon three (3) days’ notice. The notice shall include an agenda for the meeting or information on how members of the public may obtain a copy of the agenda.
4. Emergency meetings will be called only under unforeseen circumstances which if not addressed immediately by the Board, will likely result in injury or damage to person or property or substantial loss to the school district. The Fort Sumner School District Board of Education will avoid emergency meetings whenever possible. Emergency meetings may be called by the president or a majority of the board members upon twenty-four (24) hours’ notice, unless threat of personal injury or property damage requires less notice. The notice for all emergency meetings shall include an agenda for the meeting or information on how the public may obtain a copy of the agenda. Within ten days of taking action on an emergency matter, the Board shall report to the Attorney General’s Office the action taken and the circumstances creating the emergency; provided that the requirement to report to the Attorney General is waivered upon the declaration of a state or national emergency.
5. For the purpose of regular meetings described in paragraph 2 of this resolution, notice requirements are met if notice of the date, time, place and agenda is posted at the Central Office and School Website.
6. For the purposes of special meetings and emergency meetings described in paragraph 3 and 4 of this resolution, notice requirements will be met by posting notice of the date, time, place and agenda at the Fort Sumner Central Office, and School Web Site.
7. In addition to the information specified above, all notices shall include the following language:
If you are an individual with a disability who are in need of a reader, amplifier, qualified sign language interpreter, or any other form of auxiliary aid or service to attend or participate in the hearing or meeting, please contact the Superintendent’s Payroll Clerk, Mrs. Chyanne Lee at 575-355-7734 at least one week prior to the meeting or as soon as possible.
8. The Fort Sumner School District Board of Education may close a meeting to the public only if the subject matter of such discussion or action is exempted from the open meeting requirement under Section 10-15-1(H) of the Open Meetings Act.
a. If any meeting is closed during an open meeting, such closure shall be approved by a majority vote of a quorum of the Fort Sumner Municipal School District Board of Education taken during the open meeting. The authority for the closure and the subjects to be discussed shall be stated with reasonable specificity in the motion to close, and the vote of each individual member on the motion to close shall be recorded in the minutes. Only those subjects specified in the motion may be discussed in the closed meeting.
b. If the decision to hold a closed meeting is made when Fort Sumner Municipal School District Board of Education is not in an open meeting, the closed meeting shall not be held until public notice, appropriate under the circumstances, stating the specific provision of law authorizing the closed meeting and the subjects to be discussed with reasonable specificity is given to the general public.
c. Following completion of any closed meeting, the minutes of the open meeting that was closed, or the minutes of the next open meeting if the closed meeting was separately scheduled, shall state whether the matters discussed in the closed meeting were limited only to those specified in the motion or notice for closure.
d. Where required by Section 10-15-1(H) of the Open Meetings Act, action taken as a result of discussions in a closed meeting shall be made by vote of the Fort Sumner Municipal School District Board of Education in an open public meeting.
9. The Board recognizes that the Board of Education members will occasionally attend social events, community functions, school activities or programs, athletic events or meeting of other groups or entities, or be present at local commercial establishments. In the event a quorum of the membership of the Board is present on such occasions, a violation of this resolution and the Open Meetings Act does not occur so long as the board members do not discuss school business or prospective board actions as described in this resolution. By adoption of this resolution, each member presents and agrees to abide by these limitations and not to engage in such discussions outside the context of a properly called board meeting which complies with the Open Meetings Act.
Adopted by the Fort Sumner Municipal School District Board of Education this 9th day of June 2025.
/s/ Wayne Sleep, President.
ATTEST:
/s/ Jimmie Fitzgerald, Secretary.
Published in the De Baca County News on June 12, 2025.