Beyond the Open Door A Citizens Guide to Increasing Public Access to Local School Boards

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BEYOND THE OPEN DOOR: A CITIZENS GUIDE TO INCREASING PUBLIC ACCESS TO LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS is the only comprehensive, up-to-date source of information on open meetings laws in the 50 states & the District of Columbia as they affect local boards of education. Based on nation-wide research & analysis conducted through the summer of 1989, this monograph explains what boards must do to comply with the law, & what citizens can do to assure that compliance. Beyond that, this volume provides a tool for citizens & board members to evaluate local performance, & offers a model policy to help improve public access & board openness. Included are easy-to-read charts comparing the major provisions of the law in each state & defining the precise grounds for legally-held closed sessions (by far the most common vehicle by which boards circumvent the law), a glossary of school district terminology, a one-page summary of each law (including a contact person for citizens who need more information or wish to file a complaint against their local board), & a directory of state boards of education.