GBEA

File: GBEA

STAFF ETHICS / CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The School Committee expects members of its professional staff to be familiar with the code of ethics that applies to their profession and to adhere to it in their relationships with students, parents, coworkers, and officials of the school system.

No employee of the School Committee will engage in or have a financial interest in, directly or indirectly, any activity that conflicts or raises a reasonable question of conflict of interest with his/her duties and responsibilities in the school system. Nor will any staff member engage in any type of private business during school time or on school property or use resources of the school district for their personal use, benefit or profit.

Employees will not engage in any type of work where information concerning customer, client, or employer originates from any information available to them through school sources.

Moreover, as there should be no conflict of interest in the supervision and evaluation of employees, at no time may any administrator be responsible for the supervision and/or evaluation of an employee that is directly related to him/her as defined by M.G.L. c. 268A.

Every two (2) years, all current employees, including School Committee members, must complete the State Ethics Commission's online training. New employees must complete this training within thirty (30) days of beginning employment and every two (2) years thereafter. Upon completing the program, employees should print out the completion certificate and keep a copy for themselves. Employees will be required to provide a copy of the completion certificate to the Town Clerk through the Personnel Department.

In order to avoid the appearance of any possible conflict, it is the policy of the School Committee that when an immediate family member, as defined in the Conflict of Interest statute, of a School Committee member or district administrator is to be hired into or promoted within the School District, the Superintendent shall file a public notice with the School Committee and the Town Clerk at least two (2) weeks prior to executing the hiring in accordance with the law.

SOURCE: MASC (June 2017)

LEGAL REFS.: M.G.L. 71: 67; 268A:1 et seq.

Read, revised & approved: October 16, 2018 [Policy Subcommittee]

Approved: October 23, 2018 [School Committee]