By Ally Lanasa, Staff Writer

(Sept. 3, 2020) Dr. Annette Wallace, the Chief Operating & Academic Officer for grades 9-12, presented the policy revisions for administrative operations to the Worcester County Public Schools Board of Education on Aug. 18.

The board approved the adoption of policies under the new “Ethics” section of the Organization of the Worcester County School System.

According to the first policy statement, the school system has an ethics panel of five members appointed by the chair of the board of education with the agreement of the other board members.

The panel will be responsible for receiving and maintaining all forms required by the board’s ethics policies, will provide advisory opinions to people subject to those policies, and make determinations regarding allegations of ethics policy violations.

The next policy titled “Disclosure of Potential Financial and Conflict of Interests Requirement for Board Members and Candidates for the Board of Education” requires all board members and candidates to file a financial disclosure statement.

The contents of the statement is to include interests in real property, corporations and partnerships and interests in business entities that do business with the school system or the board.

Also to be reported are gifts, employment with or interests in entities that do business with the school system, any indebtedness to entities that do business with the school system or the Board of Education, employment with the school system or Board of Education, sources of earned income and any individual interests.

Incumbent officials must file a financial disclosure statement for the preceding calendar year annually by April 30, while an official who is appointed to fill a vacancy in an office must file within 30 days after appointment.

If an official leaves office, the individual should file a statement within 60 days after leaving the office that includes the preceding calendar year and the portion of the current year during which the individual held office.

Candidates for the board should file a financial disclosure statement each year beginning with the year in which the certificate of candidacy is filed through the year of the election. Furthermore, the statement should be filed no later than the filing of the certificate of candidacy.

The policy requires candidates to file a statement in the year of the election on or before April 30 or the last day for the withdrawal of candidacy and in all other years on or before April 30.

“If a candidate fails to file a statement required by this policy after written notice is provided by the Board of Election Supervisors at least 20 days before the last day for the withdrawal of candidacy, the candidate is deemed to have withdrawn the candidacy,” the policy states.

Also, the Board of Elections Supervisors cannot accept any certificate of candidacy unless the statement has been filed in proper form with the board or ethics panel.

The financial disclosure statements are public records and are available for examination and copying during normal business hours for reasonable fees and administrative procedures established by the Ethics Panel or the board, according to the policy.

The panel will record the name and home address of any person who reviews or copies the financial disclosure statements as well as the name of the person whose statement was examined.

The policy also requires the panel to retain all financial disclosure statements for four years from the date of receipt.

Another policy titled “Conflicts of Interest, Lobbying, Employee Financial Disclosure Requirements” applies to members of the board of education, board candidates, school officials and employees of the Worcester County Public Schools system.

Those officials cannot participate in decision making of any matter involving a business entity in which they or their relatives have a financial interest.

The policy also prohibits school officials from decision making in an entity that does business with the board of education or school system, “in which a direct financial interest is owned by another entity in which the official has a direct financial interest.”

Officials must disclose the nature and circumstances of any conflicts of interests.

As for financial interests, a school or board official cannot be employed or have a financial interest in an entity that is subject to the authority of the school system or board, or have any other employment relationship that would impact the impartial judgement of the official.

Anyone who proposes to appear before any school official or employee to lobby must submit a registration statement with the ethics panel.

Another policy prohibits board members, board candidates, school officials and employees from accepting gifts from a lobbyist or any person that is doing business or seeks to do business with the school system.

The final policy under the new ethics section refers to nepotism and conflicts of interest in employing candidates for the board.

Immediate family members are not supposed to be shown favoritism by any board member, nor should an employee supervise an immediate family member.

During the meeting on Aug. 18, the Board of Education also approved revisions to the instruction and personnel policies of the Organization of the Worcester County School System.