Board Norms & Ethics

1. CHAIN OF COMMAND – (Domain I: Governance Structure)

1. The superintendent is responsible and accountable for the day-to-day operations with equality and consistency.

2. Issues and concerns received by the Board or individual(s) members will be referred to the superintendent via text, calls or emails.

3. Educate the public of the chain of command.

2. STRATEGIC PLANNING – (Domain II: Strategic Planning)

1. Commit to a vision of high expectations for all students.

2. Involve community input in the creating of our district’s strategic plan and always make this plan accessible for the community. (website)

3. Commit to reviewing the strategic plan twice a year every year, during Board meetings, to ensure that we are following and achieving the vision set out for the district.

4. Foster an environment and commitment to continuous improvement.

3A. COMMUNICATION IN GENERAL – (Domain III: Board and Community Relations)

1. Be open-minded, respectful and professional at all times.

2. Make an effort to stay current with Board activities.

3. Be mindful of public communications(s) and comments.

4. Return your calls and or emails from your constituents in a timely manner.

5. Be mindful of the Board Code of Ethics and Conflict of Interest required for each Board Member.

3B. COMMUNICATION AMONG BOARD MEMBERS AND WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT – (Domain III: Board and Community Relations)

1. Expect the Superintendent to communicate with ALL Board members regularly using his/her preferred modes of communication.

2. Be mindful not to monopolize the Superintendent or Senior Executive Administrative Assistants unnecessarily, as they may be distracted from other more immediate system work. Keep general communications within regular business hours when possible.

3. Be respectful and courteous to the Superintendent, and other Board Members even during times of disagreement or conflict.

3C. COMMUNICATION WITH STAFF – (Domain I: Governance Structure)

1. Board members will not give direction to or communicate directly with staff regarding district operations and/or act in the capacity of an administrator.

2. The Superintendent is the only employee who reports directly to the Board of Education.

3. Board members will always be respectful and courteous when communicating with staff.

4. If there are concerns about a staff member, Board members will speak privately with the Superintendent about the matter.

3D. COMMUNICATION WITH NEWS MEDIA - (Domain III: Board and Community Relations)

1. Prior to any online, camera, or radio interviews, efforts should be made to obtain questions well ahead of time. All requests from News Media will go through the School System Communications Director before the actual interview, when possible.

2. Designate the Board president (vice president in the absence of the president), as the official spokesperson for the Board when it pertains to matters of the Board.

3. The Superintendent shall appoint a designee as official spokesperson for school/district communications.

4. Administration will follow a process to ensure Board members are kept informed and up to date of incidents, district positions, and position statements.

3E. COMMUNICATION USING SOCIAL MEDIA - (Domain III: Board and Community Relations)

1. Social media is a tool to communicate “positive” and improvement news about the school system.

2. Refrain from making “negative” engagements on controversial topics on social media and do not respond to negative comments.

3. Recognize and be mindful about political posts or comments.

4. Crisis communications should be handled by the Superintendent and his/her designee. Some social media posts may be misleading and should be verified by official school system communications.

5. Keep the Superintendent informed of any concerning social media posts that may come to a Board member’s attention.

3F. SCHOOL VISITS - (Domain III: Board and Community Relations)

1. New Board members will be invited to visit schools in the first quarter of a new year and be accompanied by the Superintendent or his/her designee.

2. Board members should not assume supervisory roles with staff or students or take on any administrative roles at schools.

3. If concerns are identified during the school visit, please discuss the concerns with the Superintendent.

4. Prior to visiting any campus, provide at least 24-hours’ advance notice to the Superintendent and school principal to allow the principals to confirm whether the requested time is convenient for school operations.

5. Visit schools for appropriate reasons which should be stated in advance.

6. Note: Board Members may be invited to special presentations, and/or other special days at the school.

4. SELF-ASSESSMENTS - (Domain 1: Governance Structure; Domain VIII: Ethics)

1. Stay in compliance with annual governance team self-assessments aligned with state Department of Education Board Standards

2. Develop and implement action plans that are time bound and measurable based on self-assessment results.

3. Maintain certifications of individual and collective commitments to the Georgia Standards for School Board, Code of Ethics, and Conflict of Interest Policy.

5. BOARD MEETINGS - (Domain V: Board Meetings)

1. A quorum is the minimum number of members required to be present at a meeting for any actions to be considered legitimate and binding. For the Board of Education business, a majority of this 10-member body which is at least 6 members. No action can be taken if less than 6 are present.

2. There will be no surprises to other Board members or the Superintendent of new information at Board/committee meetings. The Board agrees to ask the Board president or the Superintendent to place an item on the agenda by the Agenda Setting date instead of bringing it up unexpectedly. Additionally, information regarding agenda items will be requested prior to the Board meetings via the Superintendent or Board executive administrative assistant. All announcements should be provided in advanced to be placed on the agenda and should be directly related to school system and Board of education business.

3. Questions and commentary during Board meetings will be relevant to the topic presented, thus avoiding surprises during staff presentations.

4. Board members agree that personal cell phones and other electronic communication devices (iPad, watches, other recording devices, etc.) will not be allowed in any meetings of the Board that is closed to the public and that their use is strictly prohibited during any closed sessions.

5. Board members further agree that no Board member or third party may participate in a closed session remotely by teleconference or other electronic communication system or device.

6. All communications including texts and emails are subject to open records if used during any official meeting of the Board of Education.

7. Board members will make every effort to be on time and fully prepared to discuss and act on action items.

Board Members agree to:

a) Remain focused on the academic success of all Richmond County students, and in turn, remain committed to following the Board Norms and Protocols as closely as possible.

b) Board members recognize that honest and open communication regarding best governance practices is paramount to successful governance and positive working relationships.

c) Board members thus agree to attempt to resolve any perceived deviation from Board Norms and Protocols in the following manner:

i. Any Board member with a concern about another Board member will express the concern to the offending Board member privately and seek to resolve the concern.

ii. If the concern is unresolved, the Board member with a concern about another Board member will discuss the concern with the Board Chair and/or Superintendent and the concern will be documented in writing by the Board President.

iii. The Board chair will meet with the Board member of concern and remind them of the Code of Ethics, best Board Governance Practices, the team commitment to following the Board Norms and Protocols as well as any potential impact a deviation from best practices could have on the school system.

iv. 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, to remind them of their Code of Ethics to follow governing policies and protocols, and seek to garner a commitment to display appropriate action.

v. 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 the Chair and include the Superintendent and another Board member.

vi. If the above steps are unsuccessful, then upon a motion supported by two-thirds (2/3) of the full Board vote, then the Board may choose to conduct a hearing concerning possible violation of the Code of Ethics by a member of the Board and determine an appropriate sanction in accordance with the provisions set forth in Policy BH, Board Code of Ethics.