Many American clubs, union locals and school boards begin a meeting by checking the record of the last one. The union AFSCME gives its local chairs a script: “The Secretary will read minutes of the last meeting.” Then: “Are there any additions or corrections to the minutes? [Pause.] If not, the minutes will stand approved as read.”
For a public board, the minutes are the official record. A legal expert at the University of North Carolina notes that “courts frequently refuse to admit parol or other evidence that seeks to contradict what is shown in a board’s minutes.”