Middletown Public Schools                                                                       No. 1020

 

            In accordance with RI Gen. Laws § 16-2-9.1 (Code of Basic Management Principles and Ethical School Standards) the Middletown Public Schools hereby establishes a code of basic principles and ethical standards for school committee members acting individually and collectively as boards of education in the management of the public schools of Middletown.

A.        The Middletown School Committee accepts the obligation to operate the public schools in accordance with the fundamental principles and standards of school management, which principles include but are not limited to the following:

1.      Formulate written policy for the administration of schools to be reviewed regularly and revised as necessary.

2.      Exercise legislative, policy-making, planning and appraising functions and delegate administrative functions in the operation of schools.

3.      Recognize their critical responsibility for selecting the superintendent, defining his or her responsibilities, and evaluating his or her performance regularly without directly engaging in administrative processes.

4.      Accept and encourage a variety of opinions from and communication with all parts of the community.

5.      Make public relevant institutional information in order to promote communication and understanding between the school system and the community.

6.      Act on legislative and policy-making matters only after examining pertinent facts and considering the superintendent's recommendations.

7.      Conduct meetings with planned and published agendas.

8.      Encourage and promote professional growth of school staff so that quality of instruction and support services may continually be improved.

9.      Establish and maintain procedural steps for resolving complaints and criticisms of school affairs.

10.     Act only through public meetings since individual board members have no authority to bind the board.

11.     Recognize that the first and greatest concern must be the educational welfare of the students attending the public schools.

12.     Work with other committee members to establish effective board policies and to delegate authority for the administration of the schools to the superintendent.

13.     Avoid being placed in a position of conflict of interest, and refrain from using the committee position for personal gain.

14.     Attend all regularly scheduled committee meetings insofar as possible, and become informed concerning the issues to be considered at those meetings.

B.        Ethical School Committee Standards

The Middletown School Committee recognizes that its members and all Middletown School Department employees are subject to the Rhode Island Code of Ethics (Rhode Island General Law Section 36-14-1, et seq).  This Code requires School Committee members and School Department employees to adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct, to respect the public trust and rights of all persons, to be open, accountable and responsible, to avoid the appearance of impropriety, and not to use their position for private gain or advantage.

Pursuant to the Rhode Island Code of Ethics, no member of the School Committee nor School Department employee may have any interest, financial or otherwise, direct or indirect, or engage in any business, employment, transaction or professional activity, nor incur any obligation of any nature, which is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of their duties, employment or responsibilities.

In addition, the Rhode Island Code of Ethics extends its coverage to family members, business associates and/or businesses by which a School Committee member and/or a School Department employee, or their family member, is employed or has an interest.  As a result, School Committee members and School Department employees are prohibited from acting, in their official capacities, on any issue or disclosing any confidential information, which does or could result in financial gain to the aforesaid related parties and/or related entities.

The law also provides that a person subject to the Code of Ethics does not have an interest which is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of his or her duties in the public interest and of his or her responsibilities as described by the laws of Rhode Island, if any benefit or detriment accrues to him or her or any person within his or her family or other business associate, or any business by which the person is employed or which the person represents, as a member of a business, profession, occupation or group, or any significant and definable class of persons within the business, profession, occupation or group, to no greater extend than any other similarly situated member of the business, profession, occupation or group, or of the significant and definable class of persons within the business, profession, occupation or group.

No member of the School Committee shall sell supplies or other materials to the Middletown School Department directly or indirectly, and no member of the School Committee shall have any direct or indirect financial interest with any contractor, individual or corporation engaged in work with the Middletown School Department.

In accordance with Rhode Island General Law Section 16-12-2 (entitled “Employment of School Committee Member as Teacher”), no member of the School Committee, for as long as he or she continues in office as a member of the School Committee, shall be eligible or employed as a Superintendent or teach as principal, supervisor or assistant in any Middletown school supported entirely or in part by public money.

References

RI Gen. Laws §16-2-9.1 - Code of Basic Management Principles and Ethical School Standards

RI Gen. Laws § 36-14-1 et seq - Rhode Island Code of Ethics

RI Gen. Laws § 16-12-2 - Employment of School Committee Member as Teacher

Commissioner's Decision: Therese Lusignan et al. v. East Providence School Committee

C.     Ethical Pledge

The Middletown School Committee also endorses the Code of Ethics of the National School Boards Association and each of its members agrees to abide by the following standards:

As a member of the Middletown School Committee, representing all the citizens of my school district, I recognize:

1.      That my fellow citizens have entrusted me with the educational development of the children and youth of this community.

2.      That the public expects my first and greatest concern to be in the best interest of each and every one of those young people without distinction as to whom they are or what their background may be.

3.      That the future welfare of this community, of this State, and of the Nation depends in the largest measure upon the quality of education we provide in the public schools to fit the needs of every learner.

4.      That my fellow board members and I must take the initiative in helping all the people of this community to have all the facts all the time about their schools, to the end that they shall readily provide the finest possible school program, school staff and school facilities.

5.      That legally the authority of the Board is derived from the State which ultimately controls the organization and operation of the school district and which determines the degree of discretionary power left with the Board and the people of this community for the exercise of local autonomy.

6.      That I must never neglect my personal obligation to the community and my legal obligation to the State, nor surrender these responsibilities to any other person, group, or organization; but that, beyond these, I have a moral and civic obligation to the Nation which can remain strong and free only so long as public schools in the United States of America are kept free and strong.

Accordingly:

·         I shall endeavor to attend all regularly scheduled board meetings and become informed concerning the issues to be considered at those meetings;

·         I will endeavor to make policy decisions only after full discussion at publicly held board meetings;

·         I will render all decisions based on the available facts and my independent judgment, and refuse to surrender that judgment to individuals or special interest groups;

·         I will encourage the free expression of opinion by all board members, and seek systematic communications between the board and students, staff and all elements of the community;

·         I will work with other board members to establish effective board policies and to delegate authority for the administration of the schools to the superintendent;

·         I will communicate to other board members and the superintendent expressions of public reaction to board policies and school programs;

·         I will inform myself about current educational issues by individual study and through participation in programs providing needed information, such as those sponsored by my state and national school boards associations;

·         I will support the employment of those persons best qualified to serve as school staff, and insist on a regular and impartial evaluation of all staff;

·         I will avoid being placed in a position of conflict of interest, and refrain from using my board position for personal or partisan gain;

·         I will take no private action that shall compromise the board or administration, and respect the confidentiality of information that is privileged under applicable law; and

·         I will remember always that my first and greatest concern must be the educational welfare of the students attending the Middletown Public Schools.

 

Revision – January 15, 2009