Board of Education

Regular Schedule of Meetings

​The Sodus Township #5 School District Board of Education meets the third Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m., unless otherwise noted.  Meetings are held at River School, 4439 River Road, Sodus, Michigan, unless otherwise noted.  Special meetings and public hearings will be announced.  You can find a schedule of board meetings on our “school calendar” page.

Meeting Minutes

Proposed minutes of each meeting will be available for public inspection during regular business hours, at River School, not more than eight business days after the date of said meeting.  Approved minutes of each meeting will be available for public inspection during regular business hours, at the same location, not more than five business days after the meeting at which the minutes are approved.

The Board of Education of the Sodus Township #5 School District will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with disabilities at any meeting union 10 days prior notice.  Contact Mrs. Laura Lausch, Principal, at 4439 River Road, Sodus, Michigan, or by phone at 269-925-6757 if auxiliary aids or services are required.

This notice is given in compliance with Act No. 267 of the Public Acts of Michigan, 1976.

Rules for Public Participation at Board Meetings

To ensure due process and respect for individual rights, the district maintains a formal process for handling complaints against individuals.  A problem involving an individual or specific incident is best handled through administrative channels.  Please refer to “Concern and Complaint Process” section below.

The Board of Education of the Sodus Township #5 School District has adopted the following rules for public participation at school board meetings. The agenda for both regular and special meetings includes a designated time for public comment.

Speakers are asked to express themselves in a civil manner, with due respect for the dignity and privacy of others who may be affected by your comments.  While it is not our intent to stifle public comment, speakers should be aware that if your statements violate the rights of others under the law of defamation or invasion of privacy, you may be held legally responsible.  If you are unsure of the legal ramifications of what you are about to say, we urge you to consult first with your legal advisor.

• The public participation portion of the meeting shall be limited to one-half hour normally. An exception will be made so that no one’s right to address the Board will be denied.
• Each person shall be allowed to speak for up to three minutes, except where the number of speakers exceeds the time limit. In those instances, either the Board President may reduce the three-minute limit for each speaker or the President will waive the one-half hour time limit and establish a longer period.
• Each person wishing to address the Board may be asked to identify himself/herself by name and address. If the person is representing an organization or group, the person should indicate whether the comments or presentation represents the official view of the organization or group or are his/her own comments.
• If a delegation is present to address the Board, the delegation may be asked to select up to five representatives to speak on its behalf, for a total of not more than 15 minutes. This request, however, does not mean that any person wishing to address the Board will be denied that opportunity.
• Any written statements should be given to the Board Secretary so that copies may be made available to all Board members. All written statements and documents presented to the Board by an individual or group during the meeting are considered public documents.
• Individuals addressing the Board should take into consideration the rules of common courtesy. The public participation portion of the meeting cannot be used to make personal attacks against a Board member, District employee, or student that are totally unrelated to the administration of the District.
  If the comments constitute a complaint against a Board member or employee, the Board member or employee has a right to request a closed session of the Board.
• Board members may not question speakers, answer questions, or make statements or commitments in response to issues raised by the public except for clarification purposes only. In general, such issues will be referred to the District Administrator for investigation, study, and recommendation or designated as future agenda items for Board consideration.

Disorderly Conduct at an Open Meeting

If, during public comment, a citizen engages in “disorderly conduct” or acts in a manner resulting in a “breach of the peace,” a school board may take steps to control the behavior or even remove the individual from the meeting. The Open Meetings Act qualifies a citizen’s right to attend a public meeting by allowing exclusion for a “breach of the peace actually committed at the meeting.” See, 1977 OAG 5183.

The Revised School Code also permits the board president to order the removal of a citizen who, after notice from the president, persists to behave in a “disorderly manner”. MCL 380.1808. This provision also empowers the president to “order a law enforcement officer or other person to take the disorderly person into custody until the meeting is adjourned” if the person refuses to withdraw from the meeting. Further, the Michigan Penal Code states that a person is guilty of a misdemeanor if he or she “makes or excites any disturbance or contention in any….public meeting where citizens are peaceably and lawfully assembled.” MCL 750.170.

Concern and Complaint Process

This process is available to any Sodus Township #5 School District parent, guardian or resident who wishes to initiate a formal complaint against any Sodus Township #5 School District policy, practice, procedure or employee.

To resolve matters, a good faith effort must be made by all parties to resolve any issues.  Complaints and concerns documenting these efforts must follow the process through each level before it may be addressed at the next level.  For example, concerns regarding a classroom would be addressed by the classroom teacher, then the building administrator, then the RESA Superintendent, and finally the Board of Education.  A copy of this completed form must be submitted to move consideration of the complaint from one level to the next.

Classroom concerns: please communicate directly with the teacher or paraprofessional involved

Building and District Concerns: please communicate directly with the Principal, then School Board.

Formal Complaint Form