1106 - CODE OF ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT FOR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS
Board members shall endeavor to act ethically and in the best interest of students, the Durham Public Schools, and public education in the performance of their official duties. While no code of ethics can address all situations, the Board adopts the following Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct to guide the performance of its members.
Members of the Durham Public Schools Board of Education shall:
- 1106.1 attend all regularly scheduled Board meetings insofar as possible, and become informed concerning the issues to be considered at those meetings;
- 1106.2 endeavor to make policy decisions only after full discussion at publicly held Board meetings;
- 1106.3 render all decisions based on the available facts and the Board member’s independent judgment, and refuse to surrender that judgment to individuals or special interest groups;
- 1106.4 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;
- 1106.5 work with other Board members to establish effective Board policies and to delegate authority for the administration of the schools to the Superintendent;
- 1106.6 communicate to other Board members and the Superintendent expressions of public reaction to Board policies and school program;
- 1106.7 learn about current educational issues by individual study and through participation in programs providing needed information, such as those sponsored by the state and national school boards associations;
- 1106.8 support the employment of those persons best qualified to serve as school staff, and insist on a regular and impartial evaluation of all staff;
- 1106.9 avoid being placed in a position of conflict of interest, and refrain from using their position on the Board for personal or partisan gain;
- 1106.10 conduct the affairs of their office in accordance with the adopted character education traits of the Durham Public Schools: citizenship, courage, fairness, honesty, kindness, perseverance, respect, responsibility, and self-discipline;
- 1106.11 take no private action that will compromise the Board or administration, and maintain the confidentiality of information that is shared in closed sessions of Board meetings; and
- 1106.12 remember always that a Board member’s first and greatest concern must be the educational welfare of the students attending the public schools.
Legal Reference: G.S. 115C-36,-50
Adopted Effective: July 1, 1999
Revised Effective: August 19, 1999
