Board Norms & Ethics

1A. 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.

1B. COMMUNICATION WITH STAFF – (Domain I: Governance Structure)

1. Board members will go through the superintendent when wanting to communicate with staff.

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

3. Board members will always be respectful and courteous to staff.

4. If there are concerns about a staff member they will speak privately with the superintendent about it.

5. There will be no surprises during staff presentations at the Board meetings.

1. Involve community input in the creating of our district’s strategic plan and make this plan accessible for the community at all times. 

2. 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.

3. 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 time.

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.

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

1. Board members will contact only the superintendent.

2. Expect the superintendent to communicate with ALL board members regularly using his/her preferred modes of communication.

3. Requests for information from individual board members to the superintendent that will require considerable time and effort must be approved by a majority of the board at the next committee or board meeting.

4. 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 instead of bringing it up unexpectedly. Additionally, information regarding agenda items will be requested prior to the board meetings via the superintendent.

5. Be mindful to not monopolize the Superintendent’s time (Charlar and Brenda as well).

3C. COMMUNICATION WITH NEWS MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA – (Domain III: Board and Community Relations) NEWS MEDIA

1. 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. 8.15.2023 Approved CCW

2. The superintendent directs a chosen designee as official spokesperson for school/district communications.

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

4. Prior to any on-line, camera or radio interviews efforts should be made to obtain questions well ahead of time.

3D. SOCIAL MEDIA - (Domain III: Board and Community Relations)

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

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

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

4. Crises communications should be handled by the superintendent and his/her designee.

5. Keep superintendent informed of any social media posts that may come to a board member's attention.

3E. SCHOOL VISITS – (Domain III: Board and Community Relations)

1. Do not assume supervisory roles with staff or students.

2. Give at least a 24-hour notice to principals when visiting campuses.

3. Visit schools for appropriate reasons which should be stated.

1. Stay in compliance with annual governance team self-assessments aligned with state Department of Education (DOE) eight domains.

2. Develop Implement actions plans that time bound and measurables based on self-assessments results.

3. Maintain certifications of individual and collective commitments of the GA State Standards for school board and Code of Ethics and Conflict of Interest Policy. 8.15.2023 Approved CCW

4. ADDRESSING CONCERNS REGARDING BOARD NORMS AND PROTOCOLS AMONG BOARD MEMBERS -Board Members agree to:

a. Remain focused on the academic success of Richmond County students, and in turn, remain committed to following the Board Norms and Protocols as closely 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. iii. 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 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, 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 with the Chair and include the Superintendent or another Board member.

d. If the above steps are unsuccessful, then upon a motion supported by a two thirds (2/3) vote, the Board may choose to conduct a hearing concerning a possible violation of the Code of Ethics by a member of the Board and 8.15.2023 Approved CCW determine an appropriate sanction in accordance with the provisions set forth in Policy BH, Board Code of Ethics.

Board members agree that personal cell phones and other electronic communication devices will not be allowed in any meeting of the Board closed to the public and that their use is prohibited during any closed session. 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.