ARTICLE
The legislative mandate to livestream school board meetings will go into effect July 1 of this year. The statute can be found at IC 5-14-1.5-2.9. Please note that only school boards with elected members are required to livestream their meetings. School boards with appointed members are not subject to the law, but of course may choose to livestream their meetings. All Public Meetings Except Executive Sessions The statute requires all meetings of the school board, except executive sessions, to be livestreamed. Thus, any meeting advertised as open to the public must be livestreamed. Publicly Accessible Platform The law allows the school board to select any publicly accessible platform for live transmission of its meetings. Notice of Meeting Must Include URL When giving notice of meetings open to the public, the school corporation must include the website for watching the meetings. Archives and Additional Documents In addition to posting a live transmission of a meeting on the publicly accessible platform, a school board must post “archived copies” of its livestreamed meetings and links to the agenda and memoranda/minutes of those meetings on a publicly accessible platform. Archived copies of livestreamed meetings must be maintained for at least 90 calendar days. After that, the recording may be destroyed. Exceptions If a school corporation does not have Internet capability for livestreaming its meetings, the school board must still record the meetings and maintain the recordings for at least 90 days. Technology Failures In the event of a technology failure that disrupts or prevents the board from livestreaming, recording, archiving, or maintaining a copy of a live transmission or recording, the statute provides that this does not prevent the board from conducting the meeting, nor does it affect the validity of any action taken at the meeting. In such cases, the school corporation will not be in violation of the Open Door Law or any statute concerning the retention, preservation, or production of public records. Public Comment The requirement to livestream board meetings does not alter current law that requires a person to be physically present at a meeting in order to be given the opportunity to provide public comment at the meeting. ### Lisa Tanselle ISBA General Counsel ltanselle@isba-ind.org
The legislative mandate to livestream school board meetings will go into effect July 1 of this year. The statute can be found at IC 5-14-1.5-2.9.
Please note that only school boards with elected members are required to livestream their meetings. School boards with appointed members are not subject to the law, but of course may choose to livestream their meetings.
All Public Meetings Except Executive Sessions
The statute requires all meetings of the school board, except executive sessions, to be livestreamed. Thus, any meeting advertised as open to the public must be livestreamed.
Publicly Accessible Platform
The law allows the school board to select any publicly accessible platform for live transmission of its meetings.
Notice of Meeting Must Include URL
When giving notice of meetings open to the public, the school corporation must include the website for watching the meetings.
Archives and Additional Documents
In addition to posting a live transmission of a meeting on the publicly accessible platform, a school board must post “archived copies” of its livestreamed meetings and links to the agenda and memoranda/minutes of those meetings on a publicly accessible platform. Archived copies of livestreamed meetings must be maintained for at least 90 calendar days. After that, the recording may be destroyed.
Exceptions
If a school corporation does not have Internet capability for livestreaming its meetings, the school board must still record the meetings and maintain the recordings for at least 90 days.
Technology Failures
In the event of a technology failure that disrupts or prevents the board from livestreaming, recording, archiving, or maintaining a copy of a live transmission or recording, the statute provides that this does not prevent the board from conducting the meeting, nor does it affect the validity of any action taken at the meeting.
In such cases, the school corporation will not be in violation of the Open Door Law or any statute concerning the retention, preservation, or production of public records.
Public Comment
The requirement to livestream board meetings does not alter current law that requires a person to be physically present at a meeting in order to be given the opportunity to provide public comment at the meeting.
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Lisa Tanselle
ISBA General Counsel
ltanselle@isba-ind.org