GBEA - Conflict of Interest
File: GBEA
Conflict of Interest
No employee of the Franklin Public Schools will engage in or have a financial interest in, directly or indirectly, any activity that conflicts or raises a reasonable question of conflict with their duties and responsibilities in the school system. Nor will any staff member engage in any type of private business during school time or on school property.
Employees will not engage in work of any type where information concerning customer, client, or employer originates from any information available to them through school sources.
Every two years, all current employees, including School Committee members, must complete the State Ethics Commission's online training. New employees must complete this training within 30 days of beginning employment and every 2 years thereafter. Upon completing the program, employees should print out the completion certificate and keep a copy for themselves. Employees will be required to provide a copy of the completion certificate to the municipal Clerk through the Superintendent's or designee’s office.
Employees may need to file Massachusetts Ethics Commission disclosure forms for accepting gifts, having travel expenses paid for by a third party or field trip fees, etc. Employees should become familiar with the disclosure forms posted on the Massachusetts Ethics Commission website at www.mass.gov/ethics/disclosureforms.
Moreover, as there should be no conflict of interest in the supervision and evaluation of employees, at no time may any administrator responsible for the supervision and/or evaluation of an employee be directly related to them.
In order to avoid the appearance of any possible conflict, it is the policy of the Franklin School Committee that no employee be hired who is related to any member of the School Committee or who is related to any administrator of the school district. This provision will not affect anyone currently employed in the district who may be related to either a School Committee member or an administrator but future promotions or hiring will not be exempt from this provision. No member of the School Committee will be employed by the school district.
LEGAL REFS.: M.G.L. 71:52
Cross Ref: BBBA School Committee Member Qualifications/Oath of Office
BIA New School Committee Member Orientation
Reviewed; no revisions: 8/5/2014
Reviewed, Revised, Adopted by School Committee: 4/13/21