New Board Member Handbook
- Orienting to School Board Work
- About North Carolina School Boards
- Duties of the Board
- Open Meetings
- Public Records
- Personnel, Finance, and Judicial Functions
- Policy Development
- Code of Ethics
- Roles and Responsibilities of School Boards and Superintendents
- Traits of Effective School Board Members
- Teamwork Counts
- When the Board Team is Divided
- Keeping Students First
- Connecting with Legislators
- Demands on Your Time
Local boards of education are required to comply with the state’s public records law. Public records are records made or received in connection with the transaction of public business. They may be in any form, including documents, electronic records, film, or audio recordings.
Generally speaking, electronic mail and messages exchanged with members of the public, school system administrators, and other board members are public records that must be disclosed upon request. This rule applies whether the message is sent to a public email address provided by the school system or a private channel, such as a Gmail address or Facebook message.
There are some exceptions, based on the information contained in a message. Personnel or student information is generally not subject to public disclosure. For example, you may be provided employee performance evaluations or student suspension documents in advance of a board hearing. Those documents would not be subject to disclosure.