210.7 Rules of Order

Code No. 210.7

RULES OF ORDER

An orderly board meeting allows the board members to participate in the discussion and decision process on an issue confronting the school district. Rules of order for board meetings allow school district business and the related information concerning the business to be brought to the attention of the board. They also allow the board to discuss, act upon, and make a clear record of school district business in a regular, ordered, reasonable, and consistent manner.

Robert's Rule of Order, will guide the meetings. 

The purpose of rules of order adopted by the board are:

  • To establish guidelines by which the business of the governing board can be conducted in a regular and internally consistent manner;
  • To organize the meetings so all necessary matters can be brought to the board and decisions of the board can be made in an orderly and reasonable manner;
  • To ensure members of the board, concentrating on the substantive issues at hand, have the necessary information to make decisions, and to ensure adequate discussion of decisions to be made; and,
  • To ensure meetings and actions of the board are conducted so as to be informative to the staff and the public, and to produce a clear record of actions taken and decisions made.

It is the responsibility of each board member to follow the rules of order stated in this policy at each meeting, and it is the responsibility of the presiding officer to conduct the board meeting within these rules.

Legal Reference:
Iowa Code §§ 21.2, .7; 279.8.

Cross Reference:
210     Board of Directors' Meetings
210.8  Board Meeting Agenda

Approved: 07-09-08

Reviewed: 05-22-24

Revised: 04-27-22

210.7R1 Rules of Order Regulation

Code No. 210.7R1

RULES OF ORDER REGULATION

The following rules of procedure have been reviewed by the board:

  1. Board members need not rise to gain the recognition of the board president.
  2. All motions will be made as a positive action.
  3. A motion will be adopted or carried if it receives an affirmative vote from more than half of the votes cast. Only "yes" and "no" votes are counted in this calculation. It should be noted that some motions require larger numbers of affirmative votes, such as to move into a closed session.
  4. All motions shall receive a second, prior to opening the issue for discussion of the board. If a motion does not receive a second, the board president may declare the motion dead for lack of a second.
  5. The board president may decide the order in which board members will be recognized to address an issue. An attempt should be made to alternate between pro and con positions.
  6. The board president shall rule on all motions that come before the board.
  7. The board president may rule on points of order brought before the board.
  8. The board president shall have complete authority to recognize a member of the audience regarding a request to participate in the board meeting. Members of the public who wish to participate shall follow board policy.
  9. The board president has the authority to declare a recess at any time for the purpose of restoring decorum to the meeting.
  10. The board president has the same authority and responsibility as each board member to vote on all issues.

Approved: 07-09-08

Reviewed: 05-22-24

Revised: 08-13-08