All meetings of a quorum of the Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education for the purpose of formulating public policy, discussing public business or for the purpose of taking any action within the authority of or delegated authority of the board are declared to be public meetings open to the public at all times. Such meetings shall be held only after reasonable notice to the public.

1. Any meeting subject to the Open Meetings Act at which the discussion or adoption of any proposed resolution, rule, regulation or formal action occurs shall be held only after reasonable notice to the public. The board shall determine annually what constitutes reasonable notice of its public meetings.

2. All regularly scheduled Board meetings shall be held in the District Office Board Room at 500 Laser Road NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87124.  Executive Session begins at 4:30 p.m., with Public Session beginning at approximately 5:30 p.m., unless otherwise specified.  Notice of regular meetings shall be given by publishing this policy once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks in the Albuquerque Journal or in the Rio Rancho Observer within thirty (30) days of adoption of this policy.  Unless otherwise specified, regular meetings shall be held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.  The agenda shall be posted at least twenty-four hours before the meeting on the Public Notice board located in the lobby of the Rio Rancho City Hall Building, at the superintendent's office and at each Rio Rancho public school building.

3. Special meetings may be called by the board president or a majority of the members upon forty-eight (48) hours notice.  The notice shall include information on how members of the public may obtain a copy of the agenda.  The agenda shall be available to the public at least twenty-four (24) hours before any special meeting.

4. Emergency meetings will be called only under circumstances, which demand immediate action to protect the health, safety, and property of citizens or to protect the public body from substantial financial loss.  The Rio Rancho School Board will avoid emergency meetings whenever possible.  Emergency meetings may be called by the board president or a majority of the members upon twenty-four (24) hours' notice, unless threat of personal injury or property damage requires less notice.  The notice for all emergency meetings shall include an agenda for the meeting or information on how the public may obtain a copy of the agenda.

5. For the purposes of regular meetings, notice requirements are also met if notice of the date, time, place, and agenda is sent to newspapers of general circulation in the state at least four (4) days prior to the date of the regular meeting and posted in the following locations:  Lobby of the Rio Rancho City Hall.  The Rio Rancho School Board secretary shall also mail or fax copies of the agenda to those broadcast stations licensed by the Federal Communications Commission,  and newspapers of general circulation, that have made a written request for notice of public meetings.

6. For the purposes of special meetings and emergency meetings, notice requirements shall be met  by  posting notice of the date, time, place, and agenda in the lobby of Rio Rancho City Hall.

7. In addition to the information specified above, all notices shall include the following language.

If you are an individual with a disability who is in need of a reader, amplifier, qualified sign language interpreter, or any other form of auxiliary aid or service to attend or participate in the hearing or meeting, please contact the superintendent at 500 Laser Road N.E.,  Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87124,  at least one week prior to the meeting or as soon as possible.  Public documents, including the agenda and minutes, can be provided in various accessible formats.  Please contact the superintendent at 500 Laser Road  N E., Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87124,   if summary or other type of accessible format is needed.

The Rio Rancho School Board may close a meeting to the public only if the subject matter of such discussion or action is exempted from the open meeting requirement of the Open Meetings act.

a. If any meeting is closed during an open meeting, such closure shall be approved by a majority vote of a quorum of the Rio Rancho School Board for the Rio Rancho Public School District taken during the open meeting.  The authority for the closure and the subjects to be discussed shall be stated with reasonable specificity in the motion for closure, and the vote on closure of each individual member shall be recorded in the minutes.  Only those subjects specified in the motion may be discussed in a closed meeting.

b. If the decision to hold a closed meeting is made when the Rio Rancho School Board is not in an open meeting, the closed meeting shall not be held until public notice, appropriate under the circumstances, stating the specific provision of law authorizing the closed meeting and the subjects to be discussed with reasonable specificity is given to the members and to the general public.

c. Following completion of any closed meeting, the minutes shall state whether the matters discussed in the closed meeting were limited only to those specified in the motion or notice for closure.

d. Except as provided in the Open Meetings Act, any action taken as a result of discussion in a closed meeting shall be made by vote of the Rio Rancho School Board in an open public meeting.

This policy shall be reviewed for needed changes and re-adopted annually in the month of October or as needed. The board shall, annually in the month of October, adopt and publish the results of a resolution stating the board's policy regarding notice of meetings as required by the Open Meetings Act.

Rio Rancho Public Schools

Adopted: October 19, 1993
Revised: August 22, 1994
Revised: October 24, 1994
Revised: July 10, 1995
Revised: June 24, 1996
Revised: May 11, 1998
Revised: August 9, 1999
Revised: October 4, 1999
Reviewed: September 25, 2000
Revised: March 26, 2001
Reviewed: October 29, 2001
Reviewed: September 23, 2002
Revised: October 27, 2003
Reviewed: September 27, 2004
Reviewed: September 26, 2005
Reviewed: September 11, 2006
Reviewed: January 15, 2007
Revised:   August 13, 2007
Reviewed/Revised: October 27, 2008
Reviewed/Revised:  October 12, 2009