Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Legislative News and Views - Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R)

Back to profile

School Boards and Open Meetings

Friday, November 5, 2021

School Boards and Open Meetings  

In the last few months, school boards and the issues they decide have been at the forefront of our national debate. Many constituents have talked to me about their concerns regarding what is being taught in local classrooms. Additionally, many parents are alarmed by school board decisions on masking and vaccines in schools.

School boards enact policies that affect our children either for good or for ill. As such, it is extremely important to be involved, show up at school board meetings, and make your voice heard. However, some folks have told me they are concerned that their school board is not listening to them.

Several parents have told me that their school board meets in private to decide the issues before the official school board meeting starts. By doing this, school boards figure out how they will vote in secret which effectively locks in the results before parents have a chance to speak up. Everyone needs to know that such activity is illegal.

In Minnesota, we have an Open Meeting Law. Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13D stipulates the laws that govern meetings of multimember government bodies. This includes school boards. Minnesota’s open meeting law requires school boards to post proper notice before holding a meeting and provide relevant materials to the public. Secret meetings of the entire school board are specifically not allowed.

If you know of meetings that are occurring outside the bounds of the law, then I encourage you to report it. This link provides guidance for private citizens who wish to report meetings that are not occurring in accordance with the law.

For more detailed information about Minnesota’s open meeting law, see here.

Additionally, for those who want to know more about how your local school district receives its financing, please see this document.

Remember, the members of your school board answer to you. Do not be afraid to express your opinion. The formation of young minds is one of the most important issues in America. As a parent, you get to decide how your children are educated.

Thoughts on Mayo Clinic   

Yesterday, the Biden Administration released the OSHA guidelines that will enforce his illegitimate vaccine mandate. Under the guidelines, all businesses with over 100 employees must require their workers to disclose their vaccination status. Workers who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will be forced to submit to weekly testing unless they work from home. The deadline to implement these rules is January 4th. Health care employers have even stricter rules and only have 14 days to comply.

Fortunately, multiple conservative states across the country have already filed a lawsuit against this unconstitutional mandate. Frankly, the law is clear on this matter. No president gets to write the laws on their own. President Biden tried to do so with his illegitimate mandate, and I am hopeful that it will be struck down in court.

Before these guidelines were unveiled, I heard from many constituents who were concerned about a vaccine mandate being implemented by Mayo Clinic. Many Mayo Clinic employees live in my district, and I believe it is important for their employer to answer their questions honestly. As such, I submitted this letter to the Rochester Post-Bulletin newspaper to get some answers. However, it was not published.

Even though the OSHA guidelines have now been released, I believe my letter effectively outlines the misguided and tyrannical nature of these vaccine mandates.

Election Integrity Event 

Join me on Tuesday, November 16th at 6:30pm for an event to discuss election integrity in Minnesota.

People across Minnesota want our elections to be conducted in a lawful and fair manner. Since I came to the Minnesota Legislature, ensuring election integrity has always been a top priority of mine. I hope to discuss a wide range of election issues with you at this event. Additionally, we’ll be talking about the need for provisional ballots and voter ID to protect the integrity of the ballot box.  

The event will be held at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church located at 1549 East Ave. Zumbrota, MN.

Steve Drazkowski