The Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Bagley-Keene Act), requires, with specified exceptions, that all meetings of a state body, as defined, be open and public, and all persons be permitted to attend any meeting of a state body, except as provided. The Bagley-Keene Act, among other things, requires a state body that elects to conduct a meeting or proceeding by teleconference to post agendas at all teleconference locations, to identify each teleconference location in the notice and agenda, and to make each teleconference location accessible to the public. The Bagley-Keene Act requires the agenda to provide an opportunity for members of the public to address the state body directly at each teleconference location, as specified. The Bagley-Keene Act requires at least one member of the state body to be physically present at the location specified in the notice of the meeting.

This bill, whenever a state educational entity holds a meeting involving stakeholder input on educational matters in the state, would require the state educational entity, in addition to any applicable requirement under the Bagley-Keene Act, to make the meeting accessible electronically online to all members of the public seeking to attend, ensure the opportunity for the members of the public participating electronically to comment on agenda items in the same manner as a person attending the meeting in person, provide online access to the agenda and any resource materials that are being provided to the members of the state educational entity for the meeting, and provide a listing of the scheduled meetings on the state educational entity’s internet website with links to access the meeting and to the agenda and resource materials for the meeting. The bill would define “state educational entity” for these purposes to mean the State Board of Education, the State Department of Education, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, or a state advisory board, committee, commission, or task force established under certain statutory provisions.