The Alternative Education Advisory Council met May 1 and began a section‑by‑section review of its bylaws, which Leslie Watson, the council’s executive secretary, said have not been updated since 2008. Watson said the council will collect suggested edits over the summer and consider formal changes when it reconvenes in the fall.

Legal counsel Shondrea Hersey told members that because the council has the authority to make recommendations to the commissioner of education it "qualifies as an open meeting under our state's open meeting act," and advised members to keep substantive bylaw discussions confined to formal meetings. "Avoid any substantive discussions about the bylaws outside of today's meeting or meetings where we may discuss these in the future," Hersey said. She also cautioned against attempting to develop consensus through email, phone calls or other off‑record channels.

Watson and Hersey walked through key bylaw sections, noting statutory limits on the council’s purpose and membership (parents of children in alternative schools, teachers, a community representative and an educators association representative). Watson said officer roles (chair, vice chair, secretary) and election procedures were largely consistent with comparable boards and did not require immediate change. The council confirmed it has 10 members and requires a quorum of six to conduct business.

Members were told the department’s communications office now posts meeting notices (the language in the bylaws had referred to a public information officer). Watson said notice is posted on the department website and the existing practice of three‑week advance notice will remain. She summarized public‑comment rules in the bylaws as requiring one week’s notice, limiting an individual comment period to 10 minutes, capping public comment to four statements on an item, and requiring a two‑thirds majority be present to take action on public comment items.

The council did not vote on bylaw amendments at the May meeting; Watson said the group would gather written suggestions over the summer and schedule formal consideration and any required vote in the coming year.