Kansas Open Meeting Act
Guidelines for Extension Boards
To insure that the proceedings of the extension boards are open to the public, the Kansas Open
Meeting Act requires boards to:
1. Conduct affairs and transact business in meetings which are open to the public.
2. Refrain from taking any binding action by secret ballot.
3. Provide notice of the date, time and place of any regular or special meetings to
anyone requesting such notice.
4. Make the agenda for any meeting available to anyone requesting the agenda.
5. Recess into Executive Session only for those reasons stated in the statute, which are:
a. Personnel matters of non‐elected personnel
b. Consultation with an attorney which would be deemed privileged in
attorney‐client relationships
c. Matters relating to employer‐employee negotiations
d. Preliminary discussion relating to the acquisition of real
property (districts only)
e. Matters relating to actions adversely or favorably affecting a person
as a student, patient, or resident of a public institution.
f. Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of
corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships.
The motion for recessing into executive session must contain the following information:
1. The justification for executive session.
2. The time and place at which the open meeting will resume.
3. Any individual(s) invited to participate in the executive session.
4. Discussion shall be limited to subject stated in motion.
5. No binding action shall be taken during executive session.
The right of the public to view the workings of the board should not be confused with a right to
speak at the board meetings. Visitors do not have the right to express their views or participate
in the board meetings. The board may grant this right.
Sample Motion for Executive Session
“I move that we go into executive session to discuss a matter involving non‐elected personnel, in
order to protect the privacy of the persons involved, and that we reconvene in open session in
____________ minutes. Persons included shall be: “
6/2014