Board votes to enter closed session for personnel and legal consultation

The Norfolk Public Schools School Board voted unanimously in favor of entering a closed executive session to discuss personnel matters and to consult legal counsel, the board announced at the end of its work session.

Miss Moore Buffalo moved that the board go into a closed meeting under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act exemptions that allow discussion of personnel matters and legal consultation; board members Inge and McQueen were recorded as seconding the motion, and the board conducted a roll-call vote. The clerk read the motion specifying subsection 2.2-3711(A)(1) for personnel deliberations and subsection 2.2-3711(A)(8) for legal consultation related to the same personnel matters.

Roll call: the clerk recorded "Aye" from Bassin, Buffalo, Inge, Martin, Olson and Thomas (roll-call sequence read aloud by the presiding officer). The motion passed and the board recessed into executive session.

Why it matters: the motion invoked statutory FOIA exemptions that permit closed deliberation for hiring, evaluation or disciplinary matters involving named or identifiable public employees and allows legal counsel to attend for advice. The board did not announce personnel outcomes or take any public votes on those items during the open session.

Procedure note: the board followed the standard practice of making a public motion naming the FOIA exemptions, then completing a public roll-call of members before adjourning to the closed meeting. Any final personnel decisions will be reflected in subsequent public meeting minutes or personnel reports when taken in open session.