Is a graduation ceremony considered a “meeting” under the Open Meetings Act? All the board members (hopefully) are there. The district superintendent is there. What happens if a quorum of board members shows up at the same time at a student’s graduation open house? Do the graduation ceremony and all student open houses have to be posted? Does there have to be a public comment period where every parent gets to boast about their graduate publicly? It would be poor form to need to take over a student’s open house for a public comment period.

Thankfully, board quorum at a graduation or student open house is not considered to be an official “meeting”, and is exempt from the OMA. Section 3(10) of the OMA states the act “does not apply to a meeting that is a social or chance gathering or conference not designed to avoid this act.”

Under this exception, social gatherings and genuinely chance meetings are not school board meetings even if a quorum of board members is present, as long as the school board members in attendance do not deliberate or make a decision on or discuss school district business. Common examples of “social gatherings” not subject to OMA’s requirements include holiday parties, student events, and car trips to conferences, as long as there is no discussion of board business by a majority of the board members present. 

So, even if a quorum of the school board attends a district’s graduation ceremony, or happens to attend a student’s open house, the OMA would not be violated because it qualifies as a “social gathering”, exempt from the requirements. 

For additional information and guidance on the OMA or other legal questions, please contact MASB’s Legal team.