On Monday I received a notice from the School Board announcing a Board meeting that will be closed to the public. The Notice is:

PUBLIC NOTICE: BOE Closed Meeting (23-072) 

The Knox County Board of Education’s will hold a closed meeting at 4 p.m. on Monday, October 2, 2023 in the boardroom of Summer Place, 500 W. Summit Hill Dr., to consider a Memorandum of Understanding regarding school safety and security. The meeting will not be open to the public.

Kinda shocked, I contacted TN’s Expert in Open Government Deborah Fisher of TN Coalition for Open Government asking if this is allowed.

Ms. Fisher replied: “Schools have an exemption for meetings on school security:”

“TCA 49-6-804 (c)(c) A meeting concerning school security, the district-wide school safety plans, or the building-level school safety plans shall not be subject to the open meetings laws compiled in title 8, chapter 44. Though closed to the general public, reasonable notice must be provided to the general public prior to such a meeting held by an LEA or a public charter school. The local board of education or public charter school governing body shall not discuss or deliberate on any issues or subjects other than school security or the school safety plans adopted pursuant to this section during such a meeting.”

I don’t like it, but if Deborah Fisher says they can. I will accept that they can. Carry on nothing else to see here.