Schools

Geist Revives Proposal to Change Board Minutes Policy

Michael Geist would like to amend Cherokee School Board policy to state any documents handed out by employees should be included in its official minutes.

A Cherokee County School Board member is once again bringing back a proposal to change the board's policy on meeting minutes.

Michael Geist has placed on the agenda an amendment requiring any documents handed out by school district employees — that have not been previously published — be included in the board's official meeting minutes. 

The meeting gets underway at 7 p.m. tonight at the historicCanton High School/School Board Auditorium in downtown Canton. 

Geist's proposal would allow the exclusion of documents that have been published as part of the board's meeting agenda or have been made public in other manners.

The board last month rejected a similar proposal from Geist. In his explanation as to why he's bringing the matter back before the board, Geist notes the most recent proposal addresses concerns set forth by district administration.

"Limiting the attachment of documents to those handed out by employees of the district and to documents expressly related to a matter under consideration by the board should prevent this policy from being abused or misused," he wrote in an email as part of his request to add the item to the agenda for tonight's meeting. "As handouts are rare, this should also address concerns about the growth of the minutes."

School Board Attorney Tom Roach argued during the previous meeting that official minutes should only reflect any action taken on agenda items. 

The board will also recognize Creekland Middle School teacher Lindsay Bowley, who was named the district's teacher of the year, and Woodstock High School student Rachel Steppe for receiving a perfect score on the ACT.

Visit the Cherokee County School District's website to view what else is on tonight's agenda 

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