Legal counsel in this pending negligence litigation seeks direction, guidance, and advice from the Board.  Florida Statute 286.011 expressly permits such a meeting to occur in private so long as the procedures in the statute are followed. 

If authorized by the Board, this meeting will be held December 12, 2023.  A private meeting in this case was previously authorized by the Board at a prior Board meeting and scheduled for October 17, 2023.  Due to the court’s continuance of the depositions and other case deadlines, that private meeting cannot be held as scheduled on October 17, 2023.  If this re-scheduled December 12, 2023 private meeting is re-authorized by the Board, formal notice of the private meeting will be made in the manner outlined by the statute prior to it.  If re-authorized by the Board, the topic discussed at this re-scheduled December 12, 2023 private meeting will solely be settlement negotiations and strategy sessions related to litigation expenditures in regard to Confidential v. School Board of Sarasota County, Florida, Case No. 2022-CA-004924 NC.  The only participants at the private meeting will be the attorneys for the School Board (including litigation counsel), the Superintendent, and the Board members. 

The meeting is required to be initiated in a public manner in the School Board chambers at 1980 Landings Blvd.  Upon commencing this public portion of the meeting, the Board chair shall announce its commencement, the estimated length of the private meeting, and the private meeting’s participants.  The public portion will then be suspended and the meeting participants will reconvene and complete the substantive portion of the meeting in private.  The private portion of the meeting will be transcribed by a certified court reporter and the entire meeting will occur on the record.  The transcript will become public record following the culmination of the case.  When the private portion of the meeting concludes, the meeting will formally close thereafter in a public setting with the Board chair announcing its termination on the record in the School Board meeting chambers located at 1980 Landings Blvd.

To move to re-authorize a litigation strategy session regarding Confidential v. School Board of Sarasota County, Florida, Case No. 2022-CA-004924 NC, pursuant to Florida Statute section 286.011(8) to be held on December 12, 2023 at a time to be determined in order to conduct the private meeting previously authorized for October 17, 2023 that had to be postponed.