Q. Students; discussions on individual students.

Community Colleges, State Universities and the Regents of the University of California: The meetings of the governing boards of state universities and the Regents of the University of California are subject to the Bagley-Keene Act and must be open to the public. Cal. Educ. Code §§ 89920, 92030. Tafoya v. Hastings College of the Law, 191 Cal. App. 3d 437, 445, 236 Cal. Rptr. 395 (1987). The meetings of the governing boards of community colleges are subject to the Brown Act.  Cal. Educ. Code § 71022. However, meetings of bodies that advise the Regents or exercise authority delegated to them by the Regents are not subject to the Act. Cal. Educ. Code § 92030; see Tafoya, supra.; see also 66 Ops. Cal. Att'y Gen. 458 (1983). For instance, meetings of the faculty and the UC Academic Senate may be closed. See Tafoya, supra.

School Districts and County Boards of Education: The meetings of school districts, county boards of education, and school boards are subject to the Brown Act. Cal. Educ. Code § 71022; Baca v. Moreno Valley Unified Sch. Dist., 936 F.Supp. 719 (C.D. Cal., 1996); 66 Ops. Cal. Att'y Gen. 252 (1983). A governing board of a school district may hold a closed session to consider the suspension of, disciplinary action against, or any other action against a student, if a public hearing would lead to the disclosure of "directory information" on that student, in violation of Education Code Section 49073. Cal. Educ. Code § 35146. However, this rule does not apply if the governing board is considering expulsion of a student. Cal. Educ. Code § 35146.

("Directory information" consists of a "student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, and the most recent previous public or private school attended by the student." Cal. Educ. Code § 49061.)