{"id":1528,"date":"2011-09-09T13:06:56","date_gmt":"2011-09-09T17:06:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/09\/videos-of-entire-lowndes-county-board-of-education-meeting-of-30-august-2011.html"},"modified":"2011-09-09T13:06:56","modified_gmt":"2011-09-09T17:06:56","slug":"videos-of-entire-lowndes-county-board-of-education-meeting-of-30-august-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/09\/videos-of-entire-lowndes-county-board-of-education-meeting-of-30-august-2011.html","title":{"rendered":"Videos of entire Lowndes County Board of Education meeting of 30 August 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PL51ED477563E268D3\">\na playlist<\/a> of the entire 30 August 2011 Lowndes County\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PL51ED477563E268D3\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"   src=\"http:\/\/i2.ytimg.com\/vi\/QNXRz9EBl-c\/default.jpg\"\n><\/a>\nBoard of Education meeting of 30 August 2011.\nAs you can see, it really was almost all about approving\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/08\/lcboe-resolution-against-school-consolidation-read-by-supt-smith.html\">\na resolution against school consolidation.<\/a>\nWe&#8217;ve already posted that resolution and <a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/08\/video-of-lcboe-adopting-resolution-against-school-consolidation.html\">the unanimous vote.<\/a>\n<p>\nThe actual resolution is a model of such things:\nsimple and easy to read, yet complete enough to cover the territory,\nand leaving no doubts as to the board&#8217;s position.\nCongratulations to LCBOE on that resolution!\n<p align=\"center\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"345\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/p\/51ED477563E268D3?version=3&amp;hl=en_US\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<br>\n<small>\nPlaylist, called meeting, Lowndes County Board of Education (LCBOE),\n<br>\nValdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 30 August 2011.\n<br>\nVideos by Gretchen Quarterman and John S. Quarterman\n<br>\nfor LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.\n<\/small>\n<p>\nLet me also take a moment to thank some LCBOE staff.\n\n<!--more-->\n<p>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/98706376@N00\/6123943748\/in\/set-72157627563369426\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"   src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6210\/6123943748_ff497059cb_m.jpg\"><\/a>\nThanks to Terri Welden, Assistant to the Superintendent,\nfor helping me arrive in plenty of time for the meeting.\nI live half an hour north of LHS, so that&#8217;s important;\ntraffic could cause delays, and with lead time everything\ncan be set up properly.\nAs\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/07\/lowndes-county-has-transparency-issues-john-s-quarterman-lcc-28-june-2011.html\">\nAshley Paulk<\/a> can attest,\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/07\/lowndes-county-has-transparency-issues-john-s-quarterman-lcc-28-june-2011.html\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"   src=\"http:\/\/i4.ytimg.com\/vi\/WJseMtJvJE8\/default.jpg\"><\/a>\nI often arrive at the last minute\nor even one minute after to Lowndes County Commission meetings,\nand this precedent will help me change that bad habit.\nThanks, Terri!\n<p>\nThanks to Warren Turner, Attorney for the Lowndes County School System,\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/98706376@N00\/6123944236\/in\/photostream\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"   src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6194\/6123944236_e6b322eee1_m.jpg\"><\/a>\nfor reconfirming what he as an attorney no doubt already knew,\nwhich is that the Georgia Open Meetings Law clearly says:\n<blockquote>\n&#8220;Visual, sound, and visual and sound recording during open meetings\nshall be permitted.&#8221;\n<br>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/law.justia.com\/codes\/georgia\/2006\/50\/50-14-1.html\">\nO.C.G.A. \u00a7 50-14-1-c.<\/a>\n<\/blockquote>\nThis clause applies to school systems:\n<blockquote>\n50-14-1. (a) As used in this chapter, the term: (1) &#8216;Agency&#8217; means:\n(A) Every state department, agency, board, bureau, commission, public\ncorporation, and authority; (B) Every county, municipal corporation,\nschool district, or other political subdivision of this state; (C) Every\ndepartment, agency, board, bureau, commission, authority, or similar\nbody of each such county, municipal corporation, or other political\nsubdivision of the state; &#8230;\n<\/blockquote>\nAnd a school board meeting including a vote must be an open meeting\nfor the resolution to have any validity:\n<blockquote>\n(2) &#8216;Meeting&#8217; means the gathering of a quorum of the members of the\ngoverning body of an agency or of any committee of its members created by\nsuch governing body, whether standing or special, pursuant to schedule,\ncall, or notice of or from such governing body or committee or an\nauthorized member, at a designated time and place at which any public\nmatter, official business, or policy of the agency is to be discussed or\npresented or at which official action is to be taken or, in the case of\na committee, recommendations on any public matter, official business,\nor policy to the governing body are to be formulated, presented,\nor discussed. The assembling together of a quorum of the members of\na governing body or committee for the purpose of making inspections\nof physical facilities under the jurisdiction of such agency or for\nthe purposes of meeting with the governing bodies, officers, agents,\nor employees of other agencies at places outside the geographical\njurisdiction of an agency and at which no final official action is\nto be taken shall not be deemed a &#8216;meeting.&#8217; (b) Except as otherwise\nprovided by law, all meetings as defined in subsection (a) of this Code\nsection shall be open to the public. Any resolution, rule, regulation,\nordinance, or other official action of an agency adopted, taken, or\nmade at a meeting which is not open to the public as required by this\nchapter shall not be binding. Any action contesting a resolution, rule,\nregulation, ordinance, or other formal action of an agency based on an\nalleged violation of this provision must be commenced within 90 days\nof the date such contested action was taken, provided that any action\nunder this chapter contesting a zoning decision of a local governing\nauthority shall be commenced within the time allowed by law for appeal\nof such zoning decision. (c) <strong>The public at all times shall be afforded\naccess to meetings declared open to the public pursuant to subsection\n(b) of this Code section. Visual, sound, and visual and sound recording\nduring open meetings shall be permitted.<\/strong>\n<\/blockquote>\nNote that that says &#8220;the public&#8221; shall be afforded access,\nand recording &#8220;shall be permitted&#8221;.\nNot just by news media, and there is no requirement to ask permission first.\nAttorney Turner was good enough to confirm all this.\n<p>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/03\/lake-as-a-news-medium.html\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"   src=\"http:\/\/up4.typepad.com\/6a0120a58214e4970b0147e2191b72970b-50si\"><\/a>\nLAKE of course is a news medium, according to the definitions in the\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/03\/lake-as-a-news-medium.html\">OPEN Government Act of 2007<\/a>.\n<blockquote>\n[T]he term &#8216;a representative of the news media&#8217; means any person or\nentity that gathers information of potential interest to a segment of\nthe public, uses its editorial skills to turn the raw materials into a\ndistinct work, and distributes that work to an audience. In this clause,\nthe term &#8216;news&#8217; means information that is about current events or that\nwould be of current interest to the public. Examples of news-media\nentities are television or radio stations broadcasting to the public at\nlarge and publishers of periodicals (but only if such entities qualify as\ndisseminators of &#8216;news&#8217;) who make their products available for purchase\nby or subscription by or free distribution to the general public. These\nexamples are not all-inclusive. Moreover, as methods of news delivery\nevolve (for example, the adoption of the electronic dissemination of\nnewspapers through telecommunications services), such alternative media\nshall be considered to be news-media entities.\n<\/blockquote>\nThat law is one of the most bipartisan acts of Congress ever, sponsored\nby 17 Senators ranging from Sen. Barack Obama to Sen. Johnny Isakson.\n<p>\nI&#8217;m sure everyone is familiar with the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:\n<blockquote>\nCongress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,\nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of\nspeech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,\nand to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.\n<\/blockquote>\nFreedom of the press was so important to the founders of this country\nthat they put it first in the Bill of Rights.\nIt is no less important today.\n<p>\nLocal governmental entities seem well aware that\n<a href=\"\/blog\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"   src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5105\/5647211405_c7da55f359_s.jpg\"><\/a>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/\">LAKE<\/a> covers\nmany local meetings and other events in its blog,\n<a href=\"\/blog\">\nOn the LAKE Front<\/a>.\nI&#8217;d like to thank Warren Turner for taking the time to personally assure\nme on camera that if I wanted to video the LCBOE meeting, I could.\n<p>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/98706376@N00\/6123404005\/in\/photostream\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"   src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6069\/6123404005_7ff5446963_m.jpg\"><\/a>\nFinally, as an LHS graduate and former Star Student, I would like to thank\nSuperintendent Steve Smith for his warm personal welcome in his office\nbefore the meeting.\nMy family counted the late Superintendent Sonny Martin as a family friend,\nbut I have to say even he, known for his friendliness,\nnever laid on a welcome quite like that one!\n<p>\nI hope the numerous video cameras in the audience at that board meeting\n(I counted at least four) recorded enough to satisfy the board and staff.\nI know we of LAKE accomplished what we went there for:\nwe recorded an historic\nmoment, and we posted it on the web for the public to see now and later.\nPersonally, I think it was a marvelous PR opportunity for the Lowndes\nCounty School System, and for its cooperation with the Valdosta City\nSchool System.\nAll the video cameras in the room helped make that PR opportunity\na reality.\n<p>\nLet&#8217;s review the important lessons the Head Learner and his staff\nhave provided for the Lowndes County School System and for all of us.\n<p>\nArrive early! That way you&#8217;ll have time to set up, and to go to\nany unexpected meetings with local dignitaries.\nThanks Terri Welden!\n<p>\nOpen meetings are open to all citizens, press or not, and Georgia law\nsays anyone can record sound or visuals of an open meeting.\nThat plus press and other media are valuable components of an\nopen society, and local public officials are eager to cooperate\nwith them.\nThanks Attorney Turner!\n<p>\nAlways extend a warm welcome to visiting citizens and members of the press.\nThey&#8217;re helping you do your job as elected, appointed, or employed officials,\nand helping the public know about it.\nThanks Superintendent Smith!\n<p>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/08\/lcboe-resolution-against-school-consolidation-read-by-supt-smith.html\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;\"  src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6069\/6098057660_20c3b66a25_m.jpg\"><\/a>\nAnd congratulations once again on\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/08\/lcboe-resolution-against-school-consolidation-read-by-supt-smith.html\">\nthat resolution!<\/a>\n<p>\n-jsq\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s a playlist of the entire 30 August 2011 Lowndes County Board of Education meeting of 30 August 2011. As you can see, it really was almost all about approving a resolution against school consolidation. We&#8217;ve already posted that resolution and the unanimous vote. The actual resolution is a model of such things: simple and [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[97,40,1376,15,49,3305,20,1105,3665,88,733,3,3197],"tags":[3831,2389,179,1636,8705,1273,8701,548,8702,8815,12,7,1620,8799,3829,3830,1486,3768,8700,6],"class_list":["post-1528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activism","category-community","category-cuee","category-education","category-elections","category-fvcs","category-law","category-lcboe","category-lcboe-30-august-2011","category-lowndes-county-commission","category-media","category-transparency","category-weblogs","tag-30-august-2011","tag-blog","tag-called-meeting","tag-consolidation","tag-education","tag-first-amendment","tag-georgia","tag-john-s-quarterman","tag-lake","tag-lcboe","tag-lowndes-area-knowledge-exchange","tag-lowndes-county","tag-lowndes-county-board-of-education","tag-media","tag-open-government-act","tag-open-meetings-act","tag-referendum","tag-statement","tag-transparency","tag-valdosta"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p585fK-oE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1528\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}