EXECUTIVE ORDER
April 4, 2020
We have done a great job adapting the way we conduct our public meetings. However, some bad actors have taken advantage of the switch to remote meeting technology and have made uninvited visits to some of our meetings, spewing vile racist and pornographic content. I am therefore making the following order, to be effective immediately:
All Windsor Locks boards, commissions and agencies, when conducting a public meeting via remote means, shall adhere to the following three security measures.
- Do not make meetings or classrooms public. In Zoom, there are two options to make a meeting private: require a meeting password or use the waiting room feature and control the admittance of guests.
- Do not share Zoom conference links on public web pages or social media. Provide the link only directly to specific people in response to a request to attend the meeting. Where we have been placing the Zoom links directly on our agenda, we will now place the email address or telephone number of the Zoom meeting host with instructions for members of the public to notify the host via phone or email of their desire to attend. The Zoom link should be provided to meeting participants in the email that attaches the agenda, but not on the agenda itself. The meeting host will then email the link to any member of the public desiring attendance.
- Manage screen-sharing options. In Zoom, change screen sharing to “Host Only.”
Please note, I have been advised by our Town Attorney and our Board of Education attorney that this practice may be contrary to the Governor’s Executive Order 7B modifying the Connecticut open meeting statutes. Nevertheless, I am issuing this order pursuant to the emergency powers assigned to me under Connecticut General Statutes 28-8a. I feel this is a reasonable safety measure and that it complies with the spirit and intent of the executive order. It also complies with the latest security advisories issued by the FBI and Zoom.
J. Christopher Kervick
First Selectman
Town of Windsor Locks