79-832. Formal due process hearing; employee's rights; how conducted; school board decision.

(1) A formal due process hearing for the purposes of sections 79-827 and 79-829 means a hearing procedure adopted by the school board which contains at least the following: (a) Notification to the certificated employee in writing at least five days prior to the hearing of the grounds alleged for action, cancellation, termination, or nonrenewal of the teacher's contract; (b) upon request of the certificated employee a notification, at least five days prior to the hearing, of the names of any witnesses who will be called to testify against the certificated employee and an opportunity to examine any documents that will be presented at the hearing; (c) the right to be represented; and (d) an opportunity to cross-examine all witnesses and to examine all documents and to present evidence material to the issues.

(2) Due and proper notice of the hearing shall be given in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. Upon an affirmative vote of a majority of the school board's members present and voting and upon specific request of the certificated employee or the certificated employee's representative, the hearing shall be conducted in a closed session, but the formal action of the school board shall be taken in open session.

(3) A majority of the members of the school board shall render the decision to amend, cancel, terminate, or not renew a certificated employee's contract, based solely upon the evidence produced at the hearing, shall reduce its findings and determinations to writing, and shall deliver a written copy thereof to the certificated employee.

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An employee is not entitled to a summary of the nature of the testimony of the witnesses against him or her. Johanson v. Board of Ed. of Lincoln Cty. School Dist. No. 1, 256 Neb. 239, 589 N.W.2d 815 (1999).

The notice of cancellation required by section 79-827 is fulfilled, even where the notice incorrectly states that any hearing will be an informal due process hearing pursuant to section 79-834, if the notice states that all the formal due process hearing protections contained in this section will be provided. Schiefelbein v. School Dist. No. 0013, 17 Neb. App. 80, 758 N.W.2d 645 (2008).