Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School
Minutes
Special Board Meeting
Trustees Present
Ann Dargie Gladd, Esq, Azizah Yasin, Emily Whitebear, LATRINA DENSON, Matthew Schmidt, Esq, Thomas Roy
Trustees Absent
Neil Hede
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
LATRINA DENSON called a meeting of Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School to order on Friday Nov 21, 2025 at 1:23 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
Azizah Yasin made a motion to approve the minutes from October 21 Board of Trustee Meeting on 10-21-25.
Thomas Roy seconded the motion.
Azizah Yasin name correction.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Matthew Schmidt, Esq |
Aye
|
| Neil Hede |
Absent
|
| Thomas Roy |
Aye
|
| Azizah Yasin |
Aye
|
| Ann Dargie Gladd, Esq |
Absent
|
| LATRINA DENSON |
Aye
|
| Emily Whitebear |
Absent
|
D.
Open Meeting Law Complaint Findings - OML 2025 – 167
E.
Executive Session
Azizah Yasin made a motion to Azizah Yasin made a motion to move to go into executive session to discuss and vote on executive session minutes from March 26, 2025: “Executive session under G.L. c. 30A, section 21(a)(3) to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining (collective bargaining with UAW, Local 2322) or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the public body and the chair so declares, and not return to public meeting.
Matthew Schmidt, Esq seconded the motion.
The team VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Ann Dargie Gladd, Esq |
Aye
|
| Emily Whitebear |
Absent
|
| Thomas Roy |
Aye
|
| Azizah Yasin |
Aye
|
| Neil Hede |
Absent
|
| LATRINA DENSON |
Aye
|
| Matthew Schmidt, Esq |
Aye
|
II. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
Azizah Yasin made a motion to I move that we adjourn.
Emily Whitebear seconded the motion.
The team VOTED to approve the motion.
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 2:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
LATRINA DENSON
Open Meeting Law Complaint Findings - OML 2025 – 167
It was noted by the President based on the letter shared by the Attorney General that the board did not violate the Open Meeting Law as alleged by the complaint Emily Pfeiffer.
However, the Attorney General did express concerns regarding the apparent procedural
lapses relative to those executive sessions. Upon review, they noted that the minutes revealed several instances where the Board did not appear to follow the required procedure when entering executive session. For example, when convening in executive session pursuant to Purpose 2, a public body must identify the specific nonunion personnel that is the subject of discussion, unless disclosure would compromise the public body’s negotiating position.
Additionally, and perhaps of greater concern, at least two of the Board’s calendar entries
and meeting notices gave the impression that the Board was to meet in executive session without
first meeting in open session. Prior to convening in executive session, a public body must first
meet in open session. The public body must meet in open session to vote to enter into executive
session; this vote could fail, or the public body could otherwise choose not to convene in
executive session.
The president acknowledged that this was an error based on her initial understanding from reviewing her predecessor's labeling of meetings on Board On Track, and that it was understandable why this would be a concern and why this perception would exist, so she wanted to ensure that the entire board understood the concerns to ensure we are following the correct procedure.