Q&A: Is Zoom Compliant With Open Meeting Laws?

Here are some of the key things your compliance manager needs to know to ensure your meeting operations adhere to compliance certifications and  virtual board meeting laws. 

Create a Public, Shareable Meeting on Zoom

Making Zoom board meetings public is essential for complying with open meeting laws when meeting virtually. Before starting an open meeting, the host must check the meeting settings to ensure it’s not set to private. 

To do this, navigate to the Zoom web portal and enable the “List this meeting in the Public Event List” option, allowing participants to join without a password.

Meetings subject to open meeting laws must generally be fully accessible to the public. However, if a meeting includes an approved closed session, the recording must be edited to remove that portion before posting.

Share Meeting Information in Advance 

Make sure to announce when and where the meeting will occur so people who want to attend can make arrangements. 

Post links on your organization’s website, social media pages, and other platforms to ensure anyone interested can easily find and attend. Open meeting laws typically require a minimum time frame for publicizing public meetings.

You also need to provide clear details on how the public can join the meeting, such as logging in through Zoom.

Turn on Recording During the Meeting 

Open meeting laws typically include a “Right to Record” stipulation that grants anyone permission to record meetings. Individuals planning to record should notify a board leader before the meeting. While boards can prohibit recording closed sessions and set reasonable guidelines for using recordings, they must allow recording of open sessions.

Usually, only the host or co-host can record a meeting directly in Zoom. However, it’s difficult to prevent participants from using external screen recorders.

Hybrid meetings add complexity. Someone must set up a webcam, microphones, and prepare the room to ensure a smooth experience for both in-person and remote participants. Board collaboration software can make it easier for attendees to participate whether in-person or remote. 

Use Built-In Features to Promote Interactivity for Participants 

Zoom includes a wide range of built-in features you can use to create a more engaging experience for all attendees. 

Screen sharing improves collaboration by making it easier for hosts and other speakers to share slides, charts, photos, videos, and other relevant information. 

The “raise hand” feature informs meeting leaders when a participant has something to add. This way, they are able to ensure everyone has an opportunity to share their thoughts before voting or moving on to the next agenda item. 

To boost engagement, participants can message other attendees, specific groups, or the full Zoom meeting via the chat feature. This gives them an easy way to contribute without disrupting the meeting. 

However, some meetings can become unruly if too many people use the chat feature. In these cases, you want to turn off chat capabilities and mute all attendees.

Publish Meeting Minutes and Recordings 

Publishing minutes, meeting recordings, and other key information helps build trust and transparency by keeping the public informed about your organization’s work. Open meeting laws often require these actions.

Your board should post minutes and recordings on your website, social media, and other channels as soon as possible. Before sharing, review the materials carefully to ensure accuracy and remove any inappropriate or sensitive content.

Some organizations keep recordings available indefinitely, but that’s not always practical. Open meeting laws usually require public access for a specific period. The file size, content, and platform limits may also affect how long you can store or display recordings.

Adding closed captions and other accessibility features ensures more people can fully understand what happens during each meeting.