Board debates virtual attendance, 75% in-person threshold and enforcement language in handbook

Trustees spent extensive time reviewing proposed handbook amendments that would clarify expectations for board member attendance and conduct. The group coalesced around removing a previously proposed July/August exception and debated whether to require a 75% in-person attendance threshold. Legal counsel told trustees that while COMAR provides a 75% attendance standard, the board can adopt more prescriptive language but should also define enforcement mechanisms if it goes beyond statute.

Discussion included proposed remedies short of state removal (for which the state board holds authority) and suggested language that would allow the board to recommend removal to the state in specific cases. One trustee said, "I would like to do everything together, except the virtual attendance section," proposing to bundle noncontroversial handbook edits and treat virtual-attendance rules separately. Legal counsel emphasized the need for clear terms around "good cause" and offered options for disciplinary steps the board could enforce internally.