4021 Employee Code of Conduct for Ethical and Legal Compliance
To promote and preserve the ethical and legal operations of the district, all employees of the Union Public School District shall adhere to the following directives regarding ethical conduct:
A. Employees of the district shall perform their job responsibilities, services and activities ethically, competently, efficiently and honestly, in keeping with all policies adopted by the Board of Education and all applicable state and federal laws. Administrators and supervisors are particularly charged with communicating, upholding and enforcing policies adopted by the Board of Education (including policies contained in the UCTA and USPA master contracts) and for communicating, upholding and enforcing laws applicable to the duties of school employees.
B. Employees of the district shall, to the extent within each employee’s control, ensure that the necessary and proper controls safeguarding public resources are in place and observed, keeping in mind and adhering to the purpose of the public funds entrusted to the district for the education of its students.
C. Employees of the district shall, while in the service of the district, conduct themselves free of conflicts of interest (free from situations where the employee stands to gain personally/financially from his/her district- related business/operational dealings) and shall refrain from the appearances of impropriety in their dealings on behalf of the district, specifically following all terms of Board Policy #4057. Any conflicts of interest shall be promptly disclosed to administration.
D. No employee, officer, or agent of the district may participate in the selection, award, or administration of a contract supported by a federal award (federal grant) if he or she has a real or apparent conflict of interest. Such a conflict of interest would arise when the employee, officer, or agent, any member of his or her immediate family, his or her partner, or an organization which employee is or is about to employ any of the parties indicted herein, has a financial or other interest in or a tangible personal benefit from a firm considered for a contract. The officers, employees, and agents of the district may neither solicit nor accept gratuities, favors, or anything of monetary value from contractors or parties to subcontracts, except for situations where the financial interest is not substantial or the gift is an unsolicited item of nominal value. For clarification of non-substantial or nominal value, see third paragraph under Section D below and Board Policy 3010, Section A, Acceptance of Gratuities or Gifts. Disciplinary action(s) to be applied for violation(s) of this section of the Code of Conduct are outlined below in the final paragraph of this Code of Conduct.
E. Employees of the district shall not accept anything of significant value offered in consideration of performing their public duties, other than the compensation, benefits and reimbursement of expenses duly authorized by the Board of Education. Employees shall not accept for personal, individual gain, any favor, loan, service, business or professional opportunity from anyone knowing (or when it should be known) that it is offered in order to improperly influence the performance of public duties, or when acceptance thereof may reasonably be perceived as an impropriety in violation of any policy adopted by the Board of Education or in violation of state or federal law, following all terms of Board Policy #3010, specifically including the section entitled Prohibited Purchasing Practices.
However, an honorarium for a teacher supervising a student intern may be paid by a college/university, but only as follows: When an honorarium (up to $200 per semester) is granted by a college/university because a district teacher supervised/mentored a student intern enrolled in an education program (as approved by the Executive Director of Elementary or Secondary Education), such honorarium must be given as a check made out to
Union Public Schools (with a notation of the teacher’s name) and the district will disburse the funds to the teacher through the payroll process, less all applicable taxes and deductions. It is also permissible for a college/ university to grant a tuition waiver to a district supervising/mentoring teacher.
Group discounts, nominal advertising-related giveaways, or coupons offered to educators do not violate this policy. Likewise, for the purpose of district functions, the acceptance of food items, door prizes and/or give- away items may be authorized by the district when within customary business practice of sponsorship of school functions, but not related to the selection process for the business of the sponsoring entity.
F. Employees of the district shall conduct the business of the district only as authorized by the Board of Education. Procurements of goods or services are to be undertaken only by authorized personnel in accordance with policies adopted by the Board of Education and in accordance with applicable state and/or federal laws. Employees who are authorized to procure goods and services on behalf of the district shall specifically follow all terms of Board Policy #3010.
G. Employees of the district shall preserve and respect the confidentiality of district records, including student, employment and medical records. Employees shall not disclose confidential records or other nonpublic information without appropriate authorization and shall specifically follow the terms of Board Policy #4100 and Board Policy #4105 as well as following all applicable laws regarding confidential records. Any confidential record or information acquired by employees as a result of their positions or duties shall not be exploited for personal benefit nor misused for any unauthorized purpose.
H. Employees of the district shall uphold and follow all nondiscrimination policies adopted by the Board of Education, including Board Policies #4000, #4044 and #4047, and shall also follow the federal and state laws that assure equal opportunity and nondiscrimination with respect to district services, programs, activities, employment and interactions with others.
I. Employees of the district shall conduct all communications made on behalf of the district (including communications with co-employees, students, patrons, guests and vendors) professionally and ethically, specifically following the terms of Board Policy #4020.
J. Employees of the district shall not participate in, nor condone, dishonest or unethical behavior or actions contrary to law or policy adopted by the Board of Education. Prohibited actions would include activities such as misuse of district funds or property, fraud, theft, cheating or falsification of records. Any and all district- owned equipment and/or materials (including technology devices) in possession of the employee must be immediately returned upon request of the district and in all situations must be returned no later than the last day of employment. Employees shall adhere to all Board of Education policies regarding reimbursement for pre- authorized, appropriate and allowable expenditures, including all terms of Board Policies #3010, #3200, #3250 and #4018.
K. Employees of the district shall not represent themselves as being authorized to enter into contracts on behalf of the district. Only the Board of Education and/or the Superintendent may authorize a contract on behalf of the district. Any employee who signs a contract relating to district business or district activities without
authorization from the Board of Education to be a designee of the Board for signatory purposes, may be held personally liable for the payments due under the contract.
L. Employees of the district shall bring to the attention of administration any specific violation of this Code of Conduct and/or any circumstances reasonably indicating that a specific violation has occurred or may occur. Such reporting, in good faith, in order to promote the ethical integrity of operations is expected and encouraged by the district. Retaliation against any person making a good faith report of an ethical violation is prohibited. Such retaliation may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
The best interests of the district, its employees, students, patrons, vendors and the overall community, are promoted and preserved by adherence to this Code of Conduct.
Any report of a specific violation of this policy will be investigated by the appropriate district administrative authority, and any confirmed violation of this Code of Conduct may result in disciplinary action including, but not limited to, suspension, demotion, termination of employment, and legal action, in accordance with district policy and state law and in accordance with federal Uniform Guidance regulations. Moreover, when applicable, a violation of this Code of Conduct may also result in the reporting of the violation to the appropriate law enforcement agency or other governmental enforcement agency.
Adopted 11/10/08
Revised 1/18/10
Revised 12/14/15
Revised 11/14/16