WABASH COUNTY – The MSD of Wabash County school board has scheduled an executive session for 6 p.m. Thursday at the administration building to discuss consolidation.
There is no indication if the talks will be with MSD and another school district, or if the board was going to discuss reorganization of its current school district.
The Paper of Wabash County conferred with the Indiana Public Access Counselor as to whether an executive session to discuss consolidation had to include a second district, or if it was legal to have an executive session to discuss consolidation, or reorganization, within one district.
According to Dale L. Brewer from the Office of the Public Access Counselor, “An executive session held to discuss strategy with respect to school consolidation is specifically permitted by Indiana Code § 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(2)(E). The Board may not, however, make a final decision in an executive session. Indiana Code § 5-14-1.5-6.1(c). Consolidation can be discussed within one district under this portion of the Indiana Open Door Law.”
Because it is an executive session, the meeting is closed to the public.
However, under the Indiana Open Door Law, the board is required to provide a memoranda from the meeting that must include date, time and location of the meeting; members present and absent; the subject matter considered must be identified by specific reference to the enumerated instance or instances for which public notice was given, and it must certify no other matter was discussed during the executive session.
The memoranda must be available within a reasonable period of time after the meeting, under the Open Door Law.