Madison Metropolitan School District
Board of Education Policies and Procedures

POLICY	CODE OF CONDUCT	9000B Ethics

Board of Education Code of Conduct

1. School Board members shall honor and comply with all federal, state and local laws and regulations, including the Code of Ethics for local governmental officials.
2. School Board members shall avoid conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest.
3. Unless authorized by the Board, no School Board member shall disclose confidential or privileged information, including confidential or privileged information that was presented or discussed in a closed session of the Board or Board Committee.
4. No School Board member may use his or her public position or office to obtain financial gain or anything of substantial value for the private benefit of himself or herself or his or her immediate family, or for any organization with which he or she is associated.
5. A School Board member shall only expend School District funds when such expenditure has a public purpose.
6. No School Board member may solicit or accept from any person, directly or indirectly, anything of value if it could reasonably be expected to influence the School Board member's vote, official actions or judgment, or could reasonably be considered as a reward for any official action or inaction on the part of the School Board member. This paragraph does not prohibit a School Board member from engaging in outside employment.
7. No School Board member holding an elective office may, directly or by means of an agent, give, or offer or promise to give, or withhold, or offer to promise to withhold, his or her vote or influence, or promise to take or refrain from taking official action with respect to any proposed or pending matter in consideration of, or upon condition that, any other person make or refrain from making a political contribution, or provide or refrain from providing any service or other thing of value, to or for the benefit of a candidate, a political party, any other person who is subject to a registration requirement under s. 11.05, or any person making a communication that contains a reference to a clearly identified local public official holding an elective office or to a candidate for local public office.
8. No School Board member may:
   1. Take any official action substantially affecting a matter in which the official, a member of his or her immediate family, or an organization with which the official is associated has a substantial financial interest; or
   2. Use his or her office or position in a way that produces or assists in the production of a substantial benefit, direct or indirect, for the official, one or more members of the official's immediate family either separately or together, or an organization with which the official is associated.

   This Paragraph 8 above does not prohibit a School Board member from taking any action concerning the lawful payment of salaries or employee benefits or reimbursement of actual and necessary expenses.

9. In the School Board member's private capacity, the School Board member shall not negotiate or bid for or enter into a contract in which the School Board member has a private pecuniary interest, direct or indirect, if at the same time, the School Board member is authorized or required by law to participate as a School Board member in the making of that contract or to perform in regard to that contract some official function requiring the exercise of discretion on the part of the School Board member;
10. In the School Board member's capacity as School Board member, the School Board member shall not participate in the making of a contract in which the School Board has a private pecuniary interest, direct or indirect, or performs in regard to that contract some function requiring the exercise of discretion on the part of the School Board member.
11. A School Board member shall not:
    1. Intentionally fail to refuse to perform a known mandatory, nondiscretionary, ministerial duty of the School Board member's office within the time or in the manner required by law;
    2. In the School Board member's capacity as a School Board member, by act of commission or omission, exercise a discretionary power in a manner inconsistent with the duties of the School Board member's office or the rights of others and with intent to obtain a dishonest advantage for the School Board members or another;
    3. In the School Board member's capacity as a School Board member, make an entry in an account or record book or return, certificate, report, or statement which in a material respect the School Board member intentionally falsifies;
    4. Under color of the School Board member's office, intentionally solicit or accept for the performance of any service or duty anything of value which the School Board member knows is greater or less than is fixed by law; or
    5. In the School Board member's capacity as a School Board member, act in a manner that the School Board member knows is in excess of his/her lawful authority or which the School Board member knows that he/she is forbidden by law to do in the School Board member's official capacity.
12. No School Board member shall directly or indirectly accept or offer to accept any property or personal advantage, which the School Board member is not authorized to receive, pursuant to an understanding that the School Board member will act in a certain manner in relation to any matter which by law is pending or might come before the School Board member in the School Board member's capacity as a School Board member or that the School Board member will do or omit to do any act in violation of the School Board member's lawful duty.

s. 19.59; 946.10; 946.12; 946.13
12/6/04

Last Updated: Tue Oct 4 08:25:34 2005
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