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115 Gold Ave.

SW, Suite 201


Albuquerque, NM 87102
(505) 764-750
!"# (505) 4-6441
i$!o%$&!o'.or'
(((.$&!o'.or'

September 25, 2014
John Boyd
Freedman Boyd Hollander Goldberg Urias & ard, !"#"
20 First !la$a, S%ite &00
#lb%'%er'%e, () *&102
By email+ ,-b./bda-0om
1ear )r" Boyd+
e are -riting in response to yo%r letter o/ #%g%st 21, 2014, in -hi0h yo% e2press
0on0ern abo%t t-o pro3isions in the ne- g%idelines ena0ted by #lb%'%er'%e !%bli0
S0hools 45#!S67 /or its board meetings"
e %nderstand one 0on0ern to be the pro3ision at page t-o o/ the g%idelines
%nder 5Board o/ 8d%0ation )ember 8ti'%ette6 -hi0h states as /ollo-s+
The New Mexico Open
Meetings Act prohibits open
discussion amongst board
members for any item not
listed on the Board of
Education Meeting agenda.
Therefore, Board of
Education members shall
treat public comment as a
time to listen to the
comments from attendees of
the Board of Education
meeting. ublic comment
shall not be a time for open
dialogue with the spea!er.
ublic comment shall not be
a time for board members to
answer "uestions posed to
them from a spea!er or
comment on a spea!er#s
concerns. $f the board
member chooses, he or she
may respond to concerns of
EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
Kathi Bearden
)re*ide$t
Gregory P. Williams
)re*ide$t-+le,t
Martin Salaar
Se,ret"r-
!o"ert B. Tra##
.re"*urer

$aniel %ohalem
At-/"r'e Me&ber
Charles &Ki#' P(r)ell
At-/"r'e Me&ber
012+3.42S
Billie Blair
S"$t" 5e
*orm Be)+er
Albuquerque
,eri Cla(sing
Albuquerque

$ede -eldman
Albuquerque
Charles Goodma)her
2io 2"$,6o
Vi+i .arrison
Albuquerque
Phil /()ey
Albuquerque
Melanie Ma0ors
Albuquerque
Mi)hael Melody
S"$t" 5e
Karen Moses
Albuquerque
Iain M(nro
Albuquerque
-red *athan
S"$t" 5e
Charles !. Pei1er
Albuquerque
!ay !i2era
S"$t" 5e
Mi+e Stan1ord
Albuquerque
Grant Taylor
.o""s
Kyla Thom#son
Albuquerque
$o(g T(rner
Albuquerque
115 Gold Ave. SW, Suite 201
Albuquerque, NM 87102
(505) 764-750
!"# (505) 4-6441
i$!o%$&!o'.or'
(((.$&!o'.or'

spea!ers during board
member reports at such time
board member reports
appear on the meeting
agenda.
e %nderstand yo%r position to be that #!S9 assertion that 5:he (e- )e2i0o ;pen )eetings
#0t prohibits open dis0%ssion amongst board members /or any item not listed on the Board o/ 8d%0ation
)eeting agenda6 is an in0orre0t statement o/ the la-, as the #0t only /orbids any board /rom ta<ing
a0tion on any item not listed on the agenda" e tend to agree -ith yo% on that point, tho%gh the matter
is not /ree /rom do%bt"
:he ;pen )eetings #0t 45the #0t67 prohibits a p%bli0 entity /rom ta!ing action, e20ept /or
emergen0y matters, on items not appearing on the agenda 4()S# 1=&* > 10?15?14F74201@77" At does
not e2pli0itly prohibit discussion o/ items not on the agenda" Ho-e3er, the same se0tion o/ the #0t
states that 5BmCeeting noti0es shall in0l%de an agenda 0ontaining a list o/ spe0i/i0 items o/ b%siness to be
dis0%ssed D at the meeting"6 $d" Eead together, these pro3isions s%pport the same poli0y 0onsideration+
the p%bli0 sho%ld re0ei3e ad3an0e noti0e o/ matters to be addressed at a meeting, and the p%bli0 entity
sho%ld a3oid meaning/%l dis0%ssion o/ topi0s not listed on an agenda" Ho-e3er, F;G also belie3es that
p%bli0 0omment periods are an important part o/ p%bli0 meetings, and that 0iti$ens sho%ld be able to
raise 0on0erns that relate to the p%bli0 entity9s b%siness" e do not belie3e that the #0t broadly /orbids
dialog%e bet-een p%bli0 bodies and their 0onstit%ents" e -o%ld en0o%rage #!S to ad,%st its poli0y in a
-ay that allo-s 0iti$ens to spea< on any topi0 rele3ant to #!S b%siness, b%t does not en0o%rage
e2tensi3e dis0%ssion by board members on items not listed on the agenda"
Fo%r se0ond 0on0ern is -ith the pro3ision on page /o%r o/ the #!S g%idelines %nder
58n/or0ement o/ #ppropriate 8ti'%ette6 -hi0h states that indi3id%als -ho 3iolate #!S9 pro0ed%ral
dire0ti3e 5may be prohibited /rom /%t%re meetings"6 #s -e %nderstand it, yo%r position is that barring
0iti$ens /rom /%t%re meetings is %n0onstit%tional"
F;G does not belie3e it is ne0essary to determine -hether e20l%sion o/ a 0iti$en /rom /%t%re
p%bli0 meetings is per se %n0onstit%tional" Gertainly, any attempt by a p%bli0 entity to bar a 0iti$en /rom
attending /%t%re meetings -o%ld bear a hea3y pres%mption o/ %n0onstit%tionality" F;G is greatly
0on0erned abo%t any p%bli0 meeting g%idelines that, either /a0ially or as en/or0ed, allo- /or e20l%sion o/
0iti$ens" :he #0t re'%ires that all persons so desiring shall be permitted to attend and listen to the
deliberations and pro0eedings, ()S# 1=&* > 10?15?14#7, and the (e- )e2i0o S%preme Go%rt has
interpreted it to mean that 5no one -ill be systemati0ally e20l%ded,6 %utierre& '. (ity of Albu"uer"ue,
1=*1?()SG?0H1, I H, =H (")" @=*, H@1 !"2d @04" ;n the other hand, the p%bli0 has an interest in
ens%ring that p%bli0 meetings are 0ond%0ted in an e//i0ient and prod%0ti3e manner" :hese o00asionally
115 Gold Ave. SW, Suite 201
Albuquerque, NM 87102
(505) 764-750
!"# (505) 4-6441
i$!o%$&!o'.or'
(((.$&!o'.or'

0ompeting interests are at the heart o/ the First #mendment ,%rispr%den0e" F;G -o%ld 0a%tion #!S not
to see< to bar attendan0e by a 0iti$en e20ept in the most e2treme 0ir0%mstan0es"
#s a 0losing note, F;G a0<no-ledges that yo% are 0%rrently representing a plainti// in a la-s%it
against #!S regarding a00ess to board meetings" F;G is not presently in3ol3ed in that 0ase, and this
letter sho%ld not be read to o//er any opinions or 0ommentary on either the iss%es in that 0ase or on the
0ir0%mstan0es s%rro%nding #!S9 adoption o/ its ne- g%ideline"
:han< yo% /or bringing this matter to F;G9s attention" !lease let %s <no- i/ yo% -o%ld li<e to
dis0%ss these matters /%rther"
Jery tr%ly yo%rs,
KsK
S%san Boe
82e0%ti3e 1ire0tor

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