Attorney Melissa Murray delivered a detailed overview of the Massachusetts conflict-of-interest statute, the open meeting law and the public records law, citing Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 268A (conflict of interest) and Chapter 30A (open meeting law).

Murray told the committee that school committee members are municipal employees for purposes of the conflict-of-interest law and must complete the state’s public-interest/conflict-of-interest online training upon appointment and every two years thereafter. She summarized prohibitions on bribery, gifts (noting a $50 aggregate threshold), misuse of position, nepotism, and the one-year cooling-off/participation restrictions after leaving municipal service.

On the open meeting law Murray reviewed the definition of a “meeting” and cautioned that communications (including email or text) that involve a quorum and an expression of opinion can constitute a deliberation and therefore trigger open-meeting requirements. She outlined the standard 48-hour posting rule for meetings and the properly-stated grounds for entering an executive session.

On public records Murray said emails and other materials created or received in an official capacity are public records and should be retained on the district’s systems; she recommended using official addresses for school business. Committee members asked whether counsel or staff could maintain a compliance log; Murray agreed to help develop a tracking process and to provide materials and certification forms. She also agreed to follow up on social media and related public-records questions.