Clean Copy BH Board Code of Ethics - December 9, 2024 - DCSD Board Meeting Archive

Board Policy Manual
DeKalb County School District

Board Policy BH: Board Code of Ethics Status: DRAFT

Original Adopted Date: 04/12/2010 | Last Revised Date: 10/23/2024 | Last Reviewed Date:
10/23/2024

Board Code of Ethics

The DeKalb County Board of Educa on, desiring to carry out its responsibili es in the most ethical
and conscien ous manner possible, adopts this Code of Ethics and each member of the Board r
will:

Domain I: Governance Structure

1. Recognize that the authority of the Board rests only with the Board as a whole and not with
individual Board members and act accordingly.

2. Support the delega on of authority for the day-to-day administra on of the School District
to the Superintendent and act accordingly.

3. Honor the chain of command and refer problems or complaints consistent with the chain of
command.

4. Recognize that the Superintendent should serve as secretary, to the Board and should be
present at all mee ngs of the board, except when the Superintendent’s contract, salary or
performance is under considera on.

5. Not undermine the authority of the Superintendent or intrude into responsibili es that
properly belong to the Superintendent or school administra on, including such func ons as
hiring, transferring or dismissing employees.

6. Use reasonable eﬀorts to keep the Superintendent informed of concerns or speciﬁc
recommenda ons that any Board member may bring to the Board.

Domain II: Strategic Planning

1. Reﬂect through their ac ons that the educa onal welfare and academic achievement of the
School District’s students is the top priority.

2. Par cipate in all planning ac vi es to develop the vision and goals of the Board and the
School District.

3. Work with the Board and the Superintendent to ensure prudent and accountable uses of the
resources of the School District.
4. Render all decisions based on available facts, data and independent judgment and refuse to
surrender judgment to individuals or special interest groups.

5. Uphold and enforce all applicable laws, all rules and regula ons of the State Board of
Educa on, the Board policies and all court orders pertaining to the School District.

Domain III: Board and Community Rela ons

1. Seek regular and systemic communica ons among the Board and students, staﬀ and the
community.

2. Communicate to the Board and the Superintendent expressions of public reac on to board
policies and school programs.

3. Bring community complaints to the a en on of the Superintendent or the Superintendent’s
designee so that proper administra ve channels may be followed to resolve the ma er.

Domain IV: Policy Development

1. Be familiar with the board policies in eﬀect during their tenure in oﬃce.

2. Work with other Board members to establish eﬀec ve policies for the governance of the
School District.

3. Make decisions on policy ma ers only a er full discussion at publicly held Board mee ngs.

4. Periodically review and evaluate the eﬀec veness of policies on School District programs
and performance.

Domain V: Board Mee ngs

1. A end and par cipate in all regularly scheduled and called Board mee ngs to the extent
possible.

2. Review the Board packet provided by the Administra on, and will endeavor to be well
informed and prepared to discuss issues to be considered on the Board agenda before
vo ng on an issue.

3. Work with other Board members, the Superintendent, and Administra on oﬃcials in a spirit
of harmony, respect and coopera on in spite of diﬀerences of opinion that may arise during
the discussion and resolu on of issues at Board mee ngs.

4. Vote for a closed execu ve session only when applicable law or board policy requires
considera on of a ma er in execu ve session.

5. Maintain the conﬁden ality of all discussions and other ma ers pertaining to the Board and
the School District, during execu ve session of the Board.

6. Make decisions in accordance with the best interest of the en re School District and not a
par cular segment of the School District.
7. Execute Board member du es in a fair and impar al manner, unswayed by par san bias or
special interest groups of any kind.

8. Not adopt or follow any code of ethics which prevents Board members from discussing
freely the policies and ac ons of the Board outside of a Board mee ng. This will not apply
to any ma er or ma ers discussed in execu ve session or which are exempt from disclosure
under Code Sec on 50-18-72.

9. Abide by all decisions of the Board.

10. Comply with the State Open Mee ngs and Open Records laws.

Domain VI: Personnel

1. Consider the employment of personnel only a er receiving and considering the
recommenda on of the Superintendent.

2. Support the employment of persons best qualiﬁed to serve as employees of the School
District and insist on regular and impar al evalua ons of School District staﬀ.

3. Comply with all applicable laws, rules, regula ons, and all board policies regarding
employment of family members. Abstain from vo ng or par cipa ng in discussions,
delibera ons or decisions in any student appeal, Fair Dismissal proceeding, employee
discipline ma er, or employee grievance involving a family member.

3. Formatted: Outline numbered + Level: 1 + Numbering
Style: 1, 2, 3, … + Start at: 1 + Alignment: Left + Aligned
Domain VII: Financial Governance at: 0.25" + Tab after: 0.5" + Indent at: 0.5"

1. Refrain from using the posi on of Board member for personal or par san gain or to beneﬁt
any person or en ty over the interest of the School District.

Conduct as Board Member

1. Devote suﬃcient me, thought and study to the performance of the du es and
responsibili es of a member of the Board.

2. Become informed about current educa onal issues by individual study and through
par cipa on in programs providing needed educa on and training.

3. Communicate in a respec ul professional manner with and about fellow Board members.

4. Share per nent informa on about any item of Board business with all Board members so
that all Board members are equally informed and prepared at Board mee ngs.

5. Take no private ac on that will compromise the Board or School District Administra on.

6. Refrain from providing inten onally misleading informa on to other Board members, the
Administra on, or the public.
7. Refrain from using School District resources for personal interests and using School District
resources for community programs without Board approval.

8. Not use or lead others to believe they will use their inﬂuence to help anyone obtain
employment, promo on, or business opportuni es within the School District.

9. Direct all requests for assistance from School District personnel to the Superintendent.

10. Par cipate in all training programs for board members required by state law or the State
Board of Educa on .Educa on.

11. File annually with the Superintendent and with the State Board of Educa on a wri en
statement cer fying that the Board member is in compliance with this Code of Ethics.

Board Training

Upon being elected, reelected, or appointed to the Board, Board members will be required to
a end a training program on the Board Member Ethics Policy and the Board Member Conﬂict of
Interest Policy. This training will be completed within 90 days of taking oﬃce and will be repeated
every two years while the Board member is in oﬃce.

The training program will last at least two hours and will address appropriate Board member
behavior, an explana on of the conduct prohibited by the Board Member Ethics Policy and the
Board Member Conﬂict of Interest Policy, and a review of the procedures for enforcement of the
Ethics and Conﬂict of Interest Policies.

The Board may contract with an ins tu on of the University System of Georgia, the Georgia School
Boards Associa on, or some other qualiﬁed agency, organiza on or individual qualiﬁed to perform
such training. The cost of the training will be paid by the School District.

Enforcement of Ethics and Conﬂict of Interest Policies

A Board member who believes in good faith that another Board member has violated the Board
Member Ethics Policy (BH) or the Board Member Conﬂict of Interest Policy (BHA) will ask the
Board Chair to convene an Execu ve Session of the Board. Upon such a request, the Board Chair
will convene an Execu ve Session to discuss possible disciplinary ac on of the accused Board
member. At least ten calendar days’ no ce of the Execu ve Session will be provided to all Board
members, unless theunless the accused Board member agrees to a shorter me. If the Board
decides that no charges are to be brought and no hearing is to be held, the ma er will proceed no
further.

Any vote to charge a Board member with a viola on of the Board Member Ethics Policy or the
Board Member Conﬂict of Interest Policy will be taken in an open mee ng and will require a two-
thirds (2/3) vote of the Board members present, provided a quorum is present. The accused Board
member or members will not be permi ed to vote on the ma er.

If charges are brought against a Board member, the Board will conduct a hearing on the
charges. At least thirty (30) calendar days’ no ce of the date, me, and place of the hearing will be
provided to all Board members. The accused Board member’s no ce will be sent by cer ﬁed mail
to the address listed with the School District and by electronic means. The accused Board member
will be en tled to be represented by counsel at the accused Board member’s own expense.
The accused Board member(s), the vo ng Board members, and a orney(s) involved by agreement
may s pulate that some disinterested member of the State Bar of Georgia will decide all ques ons
of evidence and other legal issues arising in the hearing. At the hearing, both the Board and the
accused may call and cross-examine witnesses. The burden of proof will be on the Board to
establish the alleged viola on by a preponderance of the evidence. The hearing will be open to the
public while the Board is receiving evidence or hearing argument.

A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board members conduc ng the hearing will be required to ﬁnd that
the accused Board member commi ed the alleged viola on and to impose sanc ons. The Board
member or members charged with a viola on will not be permi ed to vote on the ma er. The vote
will be taken in public.

If the accused Board member is found to have commi ed the alleged viola on, the Board will be
authorized to take any or all of the following ac ons:

1. Censure or reprimand the Board member;

2. Disavow the improper acts or statements of the Board member;

3. Ask for a public apology by the Board member;

4. Report the Board member to Cognia or the appropriate accredi ng agency;

5. Ini ate a civil ac on to recover the value of anything received by the Board member in
viola on of the Board Member Ethics Policy or the Board Member Conﬂict of Interest
Policy;

6. If warranted by the evidence and ﬁndings, report the ma er to law enforcement authori es
for possible considera on of criminal charges against the Board member.

A Board member subject to sanc on may, within thirty (30) days of such sanc on vote, appeal such
decision to the State Board of Educa on in accordance with the rules and regula ons of the State
Board of Educa on. A record of the decision of the Board to sanc on a Board member for a
viola on of this Code of Ethics will be placed in the permanent minutes of the Board.

Deﬁni on of Family Member Formatted: No underline

As used in this policy, the term “family member” shall means “immediate family member,” which
means a spouse, child, sibling, or parent or the spouse of a child, sibling, or parent.

Deﬁni on of Reprimand

A formal rebuke typically used for mid-level viola ons of this Code of Ethics that involve inten onal
or reckless acts or omissions and/or direct or indirect private gain. It is not as stern of a
condemna on as a censure. It can be given in private or in a le erle er.

Deﬁni on of Censure
A form of public rebuke, a censure is reserved for more serious viola ons. It is more severe than
reprimand and is a stern condemna on, reserved for the most egregious viola ons of this Code of
Ethics, that o en involve inten onal acts and private gain.

Policy Reference Disclaimer:
These references are not intended to be part of the policy itself, nor do they indicate the basis or authority
for the board to enact this policy. Instead, they are provided as addi onal resources for those interested in the
subject ma er of the policy.

Note: To access the policy references, CLICK HERE: State of Georgia Terms and Condi ons and close the
LexisNexis tab, which will return you to the policy. Click on the links below to be taken to each speciﬁc
code. You should only have to do this one me per session.

State Descrip on
O.C.G.A. 20-02-0049 Standards for local board of educa on members

O.C.G.A. 20-02-0051 Elec on of LBOE members; persons ineligible to be
member or superintendent; ineligibility for LBOE or
other elec ve oﬃces.

O.C.G.A. 20-02-0063 Prohibit certain conﬂicts of interest of board members

O.C.G.A. 20-02-0072 Code of ethics for local board of educa on members

O.C.G.A. 20-02-0073 Removal of board members upon poten al loss of
accredita on; turnaround schools; prohibi on on use of
public funds for li ga on expenses

O.C.G.A. 45-05-0006 Public oﬃcial inves gated by special commission upon
indictment; gubernatorial review if commission
recommends suspension; suspension; reinstatement;
replacement or temporary oﬃcer

Rule 160-4-9-.06 Charter Authorizers, Financing, Management, and
Governance Training

Rule 160-5-1-.36 Local School Board Governance

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