Caroline County's school board members went into a closed session last week to discuss, among other matters, their own performance. It's probably not a bad idea to evaluate themselves occasionally, but they shouldn't keep it secret from county residents.
In fact, using a closed meeting under the personnel exemption to talk about themselves is not permitted under state law. Virginia's Freedom of Information Act permits closed meetings to discuss ìspecific' people they have the authority to hire, fire, discipline or evaluate.
The exemption doesn't include one another. There are at least two legal opinions-one from the attorney general, another from the state's Freedom of Information Advisory Council-that explain why such discussions can't be held in closed sessions. Continue>>>
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