TOPEKA – (December 23, 2019) – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt last week executed a settlement with U.S.D. No. 112 Board of Education (Central Plains) to resolve a violation of the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA).
In November, the Board self-reported to the attorney general’s office that it had violated the KOMA by improperly discussing matters in executive session that should have been discussed in its open public meeting. Upon investigation, the attorney general’s office determined that the Board violated the KOMA on two occasions by improperly recessing into executive session to discuss matters unrelated to the justification cited in the Board’s motion to enter executive session. The Board’s motions to recess into executive session also failed to include the place where the open meeting would resume.
At the conclusion of the investigation, the Board signed a consent order admitting that it violated the KOMA. The Board members have agreed to obtain training and provide written confirmation that each member has obtained the required training, conduct a prompt review of any existing Board policy or draft and adopt a policy that addresses board responsibilities and executive sessions and provide written confirmation of doing so, and not engage in any future violations of the KOMA.
A copy of the consent order, which was signed last week by the attorney general, is available at http://ag.ks.gov/open-govt/enforcement-actions. Information about the requirements of the KOMA and the KORA can be found at http://ag.ks.gov/open-govt.