WS School board to hear parent petition in closed session

The Willow Springs R-IV School Board will meet Monday, February 12 after press time.

 

A closed session citing, “Personnel” will take place. When asked, the central office cited 610.021(3) and 610.021(13) as their exceptions to Missouri’s Sunshine Law. This session will be the time when the parents who circulated the petition to reinstate former head football coach Travis Payne will be heard. 

 

Exceptions to the Sunshine Law are exclusive, meaning they are the only reasons to justify excluding the public. No subjects of conversation not explicitly outlined in the statutory language are lawful, said Missouri Press Association attorney Jean Maneke. 

 

Exception (13) refers specifically to personnel records, and (3) refers specifically to “hiring, firing, promoting, or disciplining” employees. 

 

The parents themselves are not on the agenda to speak in open session. To be in compliance with Missouri law, the entirety of the closed session should be restricted to the topics found in exceptions (3) and (13). 

 

According to the agenda published by the central office, the items for action in open session will include the district assessment plan, the middle school math curriculum, policy revisions, the 2024-2025 school calendar, 2024 summer school, the contract for the fiscal year 2024 audit, and the MSBA policy agreement. 

 

See the next issue of Howell County News for our coverage of this meeting. Video recordings of each meeting may be found online at the school’s YouTube channel.