Agenda Item
c. Affirmation of Board Policy, Descriptor Codes BH and BHA and Affirmation of Board Norms
Summary: Presented by: Board Chair Elect
Request: Pursuant to Board Policies BH (Board Member Code of Ethics) and BHA (Board Member Conflict of Interest), it is requested that the members of the Board of Education re-affirm their commitment to comply with Board Policy BH (Board Member Code of Ethics) and Board Policy BHA (Board Member Conflict of Interest). It is also requested that members of the Board of Education affirm to comply with Board Norms.
Why: At the first meeting of each calendar year (or as soon thereafter as possible), all Board Members shall publicly swear to or affirm their commitment to comply with the Board Members Ethics Policy, as set forth in Board Policy BH, and the Board Members Conflict of Interest Policy, as set forth in Board Policy BHA, as well as Board Norms, as approved by the Board on May 6, 2013.
Details: To enforce the Board Code of Ethics, policy BH authorizes the Board to take various measures if a Board Member is found by a majority vote of the Board to have violated the Code of Ethics. The burden of proof is on the Board to establish the alleged violation by a preponderance of the evidence. If the accused Board Member is found to have committed the alleged violation, the Board is authorized to take several actions.
1. Censure or reprimand the Board Member;
2. Disavow the improper acts or statements of the Board Member;
3. Require a public apology by the Board Member;
4. Initiate a civil action to recover the value of anything received by the Board Member in violation of the Board Member Ethics Policy or the Board Member Conflict of Interest Policy;
5. If warranted by the evidence and findings; report the matter to the law enforcement authorities for possible consideration of criminal charges against the Board Member.
DeKalb County Board of Educa on
Norms and Protocols
The Governance Team (Board of Education) agrees to:
Operate in a manner that reflects:
Student-focused decision making Access & Opportunity for All
Focus on student achievement Students
Knowledge about educational Commitment
issues Ethical behavior
Trustworthiness Professionalism
Consistency No surprises
Responsiveness
A Governance Roles and Responsibilities
The Governance Team agrees to:
Always put students first when making decisions and keep student achievement as
the main focus of board actions.
Educate students – ethically and with fiscal responsibility.
Follow the Code of Ethics and disclose any conflicts of interest.
Lead as a united team with the superintendent, each in their respective roles with
strong collaboration and mutual trust.
Function as a policy making body separate from the roles and responsibilities
authorized to the superintendent.
Not micromanage the superintendent in the day-to-day operations of the district
Follow the chain of command.
Support the team, be open-minded and willing to listen.
Never surprise the superintendent in a board meeting.
Be responsible for the Strategic Plan.
Adopted: 2013
Revised: 11/13/25
B Superintendent
The Governance Team agrees to:
Be transparent and respectful.
Always follow the chain of command and not micromanage the superintendent.
Designate the superintendent as chief executive o icer fully delegating authority to
provide educational leadership, manage daily operations, and perform all duties
assigned by law.
Operate as a governance team with the superintendent as a key member.
Respect the superintendent’s professional recommendations and decisions, even
when there’s disagreement, and never undermine the superintendent authority.
Take recommendations from the superintendent seriously, and carefully research
and review before acting.
Open and honest communication.
Hold the superintendent accountable for operations and student performance.
Establish the superintendent’s annual performance goals jointly with the
superintendent in alignment with the strategic plan and provide feedback to the
superintendent at least bi-annually via formative and summative evaluation
procedures.
Be supportive of board decisions, even when there’s disagreement.
Be fair and timely with superintendent’s evaluation. The evaluation process includes
an annual review in May/June, the setting of new goals in July, and a mid-year
evaluation in December/January each year (December for election years; month for
non-election years).
C Parent and Community Process Flow Chart/Chain of Command
The Governance Team agrees:
To support and follow the Parent and Community Process Flow Chart/Chain of
Command and inform sta to do same if approached.
The superintendent is responsible and accountable for the day-to-day operations
with equity and consistency.
Issues and concerns received by the board or individual members will be referred to
the superintendent.
The board will educate the public about the Parent and Community Process Flow
Chart/Chain of Command and instruct them to follow it when approached with
requests about day-to-day and operational issues.
Adopted: 2013
Revised: 11/13/25
D Decision Making Process
The Governance Team agrees to:
Be open-minded and respectful of all opinions.
Provide a safe space for communications for all stakeholders.
Seek input and listen to all sides before making decisions.
Put students first when making decisions.
Study the issues and discuss with stakeholders, superintendent, and fellow board
members.
Be prepared and knowledgeable about educational issues and topics.
Support decisions made by the board and/or administrative team once a decision is
made.
Support the majority decision.
E School Visits
The Governance Team agrees to:
Adhere to Board Policy: BBI: Board Sta Relations
Board-Sta Relations
F Capital Projects & Construction Site Visits
The Governance Team agrees:
Individual board members will not make unscheduled visits to construction sites.
Construction site visit will be coordinated with superintendent.
The superintendent will provide regular updates on capital projects during board
meetings that may include images and other essential information.
Superintendent will convene steering committee meetings or steering committees.
Up to three board members may attend a steering committee meeting
simultaneously, provided prior notice is given.
G Communication
The Governance Team agrees to:
Be open-minded, respectful, and professional with all stakeholders.
Ongoing, transparent communication with community stakeholders while
maintaining confidentiality regarding sensitive matters, including items discussed in
executive sessions, and refraining from discussing the intentions of fellow board
members.
Incorporate good, timely, open, and constant communication.
Adopted: 2013
Revised: 11/13/25
Support and encourage each other in serving the public at the highest level of
professionalism and ethical conduct.
Assign new board members a Board Mentor who has served at least two years. The
Board Mentor will agree to be an additional layer of support and a point of contact
for a new board member in their first year of service. New board members are
encouraged to establish connections with a mentor through GSBA or during the
New Board Member Orientation. This initiative aims to support their understanding
of roles and best practices while fostering relationships with fellow district board
members.
H Communication Among Board Members/Superintendent
The Governance Team agrees:
To maintain respectful and timely communications.
To refrain from inundating the superintendent with daily phone calls but will
reach out in emergencies.
To direct concerns or questions to the superintendent during times of crisis
when the school district is making decisions about how to respond or to prepare
for a potential closing.
The board chair and superintendent will maintain daily contact. The concerns
from the board members will be relayed by the board chair to the superintendent
and information will be gathered. The board chair will then share updates with
the entire board.
To expect the superintendent to communicate regularly with all board members
through mutually agreed upon methods.
To direct all stakeholder questions, input, or discussion, to the superintendent
who will communicate them as needed to the board.
The superintendent should attempt to respond within 24 hours depending upon
the nature of the issue.
When a board member has information or data to share with other board
members and/or sta , board member will provide the information/data to the
superintendent who will distribute to pertinent parties.
When board members receive emails from constituents, the board chair will
ensure to reply to all in their response.
Requests for information directed from individual board members to the
superintendent that necessitate considerable time and e ort must receive
approval from the majority of the board.
To be respectful of the superintendent’s time by making phone calls or sending
non-urgent emails and texts during business hours, specifically between 7:30
a.m. and before 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Adopted: 2013
Revised: 11/13/25
Confidentiality is presumed unless explicitly indicated otherwise, and members
are encouraged to engage in private discussions with discretion.
In the event the superintendent is unable to fulfill their duties, the Board
communications chain of command will be as follows:
Incident (emergency or information urgent in nature) occurs.
Board Chair receives emergency information or information urgent in
nature.
Board Chair immediately contacts Vice Chair and Board Legal Counsel (if
necessary)
Board Chair contacts Superintendent and/or their designee.
Board Chair and Vice Chair determine strategy for contacting each BOE
member in a timely manner.
Board Chair and Vice Chair determine next step and relay next steps to
entire BOE.
Board Chair and Vice Chair contact Board O ice Executive Director &
Sta in a timely manner of next steps involve notifying the public, an
emergency-called meeting, preparing necessary documents related to
emergency, making sure Board Room or suitable space is available for
called meeting and securing third party involvement (example –
contacting Judge for swearing in).
SEE END OF DOCUMENT FOR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL FLOW CHART
I Communications with Sta
The Governance Team agrees:
The superintendent is the only employee that reports directly to the Board of
Education.
To go through the superintendent when wanting to communicate with sta .
To be a cohesive team.
If there are concerns regarding a sta member or a school issue, the board
member will speak privately with the superintendent about the issue, unless the
superintendent directs them to share the concern otherwise (i.e., with another
sta members).
It is essential to always maintain a standard of respect and courtesy towards all
sta members.
There will be no surprises during sta presentations at board meetings.
When board members receive inquiries or concerns from stakeholders, it is
important to direct these matters to the superintendent or their designee.
Adopted: 2013
Revised: 11/13/25
J Self-Assessment
The Governance Team agrees to:
Complete an annual governance team self-assessment aligned with the
required eight domains.
Develop and implement action plans based on the self-assessment results.
Sign annually, certification of individual and collective agreement of the Georgia
State Standards for School Boards, the Code of Ethics, and the Conflict-of-
Interest Policy.
K Communication with the News Media
The Governance Team agrees to:
Adhere to Regulation BBA – R (1): Board O icers - Duties of the Chair
Board O icers-Duties of the Chair
Have the board chair provide his/her statement to the full board ahead of time.
Designate the board chair as the o icial spokesperson for the board when it
pertains to matters of the board. Individual board members are strongly
discouraged from speaking to the media – on matters that e ect the board as a
whole. Board members approached by the media for comments related to their
specific area of the district are encouraged to inform board leadership and the
superintendent, and to work with Communications in preparing comments.
Designate the superintendent or his designee as the o icial spokesperson for
the school district.
A process to ensure that board members are kept informed of incidents, district
positions, and position statement.
Not to go on camera or radio for interviews unless questions are provided in
advance, ensuring that the content is not subject to manipulation during the
editing process.
L Social Media Communications
The Governance Team agrees to:
Use social media as a tool to promote positive and important news about the
school district.
Not engage with the public on controversial topics on social media.
Not respond to negative comments on social media.
Be positive and mindful of how their actions on social media reflect on the whole
Board.
Adopted: 2013
Revised: 11/13/25
Be mindful on posting about politics.
Stay away from responding during a crisis and rely on the district social media
sites to relay critical information.
Send any social media information that may further an awareness of community
concerns or controversy to the superintendent and board chair.
M Board Meetings
The Governance Team agrees to:
Conduct meetings in accordance with Board Policy: BC: Board Meetings
Board Meetings
N Vendors/Potential Vendors
The Governance Team agrees to:
Adhere to Policy: BBI: Board Sta Relations
Board-Sta Relations
Adhere to Policy: DJE: Purchasing
Purchasing
Adhere to Policy: BHA: Board Member Conflict-of-Interest
Board Member Conflict of Interest
Not ask for donations for individual schools or for the district.
Refer vendors to the superintendent or district vendor portal.
Vendor Services
https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/divisions/finance/vendor-services
O Legal Political Elections
The Governance Team agrees to:
Be mindful when supporting local candidates and how this could impact
relationships/future relationships.
Adhere to Policy: BHC: Board Member Political Activity
Board Member Political Activity
P Addressing Concerns Regarding Board Norms and Protocols Among Board Members
The Governance Team agrees to:
Adhere to Policy: BH Under Enforcement of Ethics – Enforcement of Ethics
and Conflict of Interest Policies
Adopted: 2013
Revised: 11/13/25
Board Code of Ethics
Have private conversations between board & superintendent in Executive
Session.
Report the matter to State Board of Education for next steps.
Remain focused on the academic success of the DeKalb County School district
students and in turn, remain committed to following the Board Norms and
Protocols as closely as possible.
Recognize that honest and open communication regarding best governance
practices is paramount to successful governance and positive working
relationships.
Attempt to resolve any perceived deviation from Board Norms and Protocols in
the following manner:
Board member with a concern about another Board member will express
the concern to the Board member privately and seek to resolve the
concern.
If the concern is unresolved, the Board member with the concern about
another Board member will discuss the concern with Board Chair and/or
Superintendent privately.
The Board Chair will meet with the Board member of concern and remind
them of their Code of Ethics, best Board governance practices, the team
commitment to following the Norms and Protocols as well as any
potential impact a deviation from best practices could have on the school
district.
If the aforementioned actions, in the view of the Chair, do not bring
resolution, then the Board Chair and one other Board member shall meet
with the noted Board member, remind them of their Code of Ethics to
follow governing policies and protocols, and seek to garner a
commitment to display appropriate action
If the Board Chair is the member of noted concern, the Vice Chair and/or
Superintendent will hear the concern from any Board member. The Vice
Chair will meet with the Chair and include the superintendent or another
Board member.
Refer to Policy BH’s provision, “Upon a motion supported by a two-thirds vote, the
board may choose to conduct a hearing concerning a possible violation of this Code
of Ethics by a member of the Board” if the above steps are unsuccessful.
Adopted: 2013
Revised: 11/13/25
Q Emergency Contact Protocol
If there is an emergency related to superintendent, board chair or vice chair will
notify full board.
If called meeting is needed, proper notice will be given to board o ice sta .
Engage communications, internal or external, as needed based upon board chairs
discretion.
The superintendent will designate two people to be notified in case of their absence.
Emergency Communications Protocol Flow Chart
1. Incident (emergency or information urgent in nature) occurs.
2. Board Chair receives emergency information or information urgent in
nature.
3. Board Chair immediately contacts Vice Chair and Board Legal Counsel (if
necessary).
4. Board Chair contacts Superintendent and/or their designee.
5. Board Chair and Vice Chair determine strategy for contacting each BOE
member in a timely manner.
6. Board Chair and Vice Chair determine next step and relay next steps to
entire BOE.
7. Board Chair and Vice Chair contact Board O ice Executive Director &
Sta in a timely manner if next steps involve notifying the public, an
emergency-called meeting, preparing necessary documents related to
emergency, making sure Board Room or suitable space is available for
called meeting and securing third party involvement (example –
contacting Judge for swearing in).
Adopted: 2013
Revised: 11/13/25