Regular Meeting Schedule
All regular meetings are held at Lakota Plains Junior School (5500 Princeton Road, Liberty Township, Ohio) in the Media Center unless otherwise indicated. Meeting time is 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise indicated. Other meetings may be called as needed and will be announced consistent with Ohio law.
Please note until further notice all Board meetings will have limited seating of twenty (20) on a first-come first-served basis due to social distancing requirements. Additionally, all members of the public who attend our Board meetings in person will be required to adhere to the state-wide mask mandate.
We encourage our community to continue to attend our meetings virtually at the following link https://lakotaonline.zoom.us/j/99058236291?pwd=UkUxenB2eW01cWsyOEZlTmhHa3FVUT09. The meeting password is 301370.
Work Session Schedule
Generally, the Lakota Board of Education holds a work session on the fourth Monday night of each month at 6:30 p.m. Unless otherwise indicated, these work sessions are currently being held via Zoom. Dates and locations for board work sessions are tracked on the board meeting calendar (at right), which is updated as any schedule changes are announced.
The work sessions give board members the opportunity to dive deeper into topics affecting our schools. There is one opportunity for public comment during these work sessions.
Other special meetings and changes of time may be called, as needed, and will be announced consistent with Ohio law.
Executive Sessions
All school board meetings are
open to the public. During regular meetings, the board may call a
closed-door session, called an executive session. Ohio law allows
executive sessions for discussion only, and only to discuss personnel,
property purchases, pending legal action, employee negotiations, or
security. The board may not take any votes or other action during
executive sessions.
Public Comment
We welcome comments and questions at Board Meetings during our public participation section of the agenda. Public participants must be residents of the District or Lakota staff, and have a legitimate interest in the action of the Board. Public comment is limited to three minutes.
Public comment will continue to be available for our virtual participants as well those who attend the meeting in person. Members of the public who attend the meeting virtually are encouraged to use one of two ways to address the Board of Education through the public comment sections of our agenda. This can be achieved by one of two ways. The first is by submitting comments in writing to publiccomment@lakotaonline.com no later than 4:00 p.m. on the day of the Board meeting.
The following information must be in your email when submitting comments:
1. Emails must be marked, “Public Comment for Board Meeting”
2. First and last name
3. Address
4. Email and phone number
Important:
Comments received by the deadline of 4:00 p.m. on the day of the Board meeting will be read into the record during one of the public comment sections of the meeting.
Comments received after the deadline will not be read into the record during the meeting.
Comments received that relate to an item on the agenda will be read during the first opportunity for public comment during the meeting.
Comments received for subjects that do not relate to an item on the agenda will be read during the second and final opportunity for public comment during the meeting.
The reading of all comments will adhere to Board policy and will stop when three (3) minutes are exceeded.
The Board expects that all comments will be submitted with the decorum and respect appropriate to the conduct of public business.
Topics such as personnel matters, pending appeals and specific student disciplinary matters will not be read into the record.
Disparaging comments, personal attacks, and inflammatory remarks about specific schools or personnel will not be read into the record.
All public comments submitted will be part of the records maintained by the District.
Please be reminded that written comments submitted are considered public record and, as such, are subject to the Ohio Open Records Law.
The second option is by utilizing the option of "raise hand" during the meeting. If a community member chooses this option they will be unmuted and afforded three (3) minutes for comments.
In general, the board oversees
district-wide issues and policies. If you have individual concerns about
a specific situation or student, it's best to first talk with the
teacher, building principal, or school administrator. Lakota's goal is
to work together with parents to resolve issues quickly, and staff
members closest to the situation are oftentimes better able to do so.
However, if you still have questions or concerns after working with the staff member, please contact the superintendent or assistant superintendent.
Board Response
If appropriate, the
board will occasionally respond immediately to questions or comments,
but will often instruct the superintendent or treasurer to do further
research and report back to the board and resident. If you have specific
questions, you will receive a response either at the meeting or shortly
thereafter. The board wants to ensure that it is fully informed before
responding, and so if your questions are not addressed during the
meeting, this does not indicate a lack of interest on the board's part.
A response will be forthcoming.