The
Code of Conduct presented below was adopted in 1975
by the Board of Directors of the Illinois Association
of School Boards and recommended to its member school
boards. Today, specially printed copies of the Code
hang on the walls of many school board offices where
they serve as constant reminders of board responsibilities.
Also, some school boards use the Code as part of their
induction ceremonies for newly elected members.
| Code
of Conduct |
As
a member of my local board of education, I shall
do my utmost to represent the
public interest in education by adhering to
the following commitments:
- I
shall represent all school district constituents
honestly and equally and refuse to surrender
my responsibilities to special interest or partisan
political groups.
- I shall
avoid any conflict of interest or the appearance
of impropriety which could result
from my position, and shall not use my board
membership for personal gain or publicity.
- I shall
recognize that a board member has no legal authority
as an individual and
that decisions
can be made only by a majority vote at a board
meeting.
- I shall
take no private action that might compromise
the board or administration and
shall respect the confidentiality of privileged
information.
- I shall
abide by majority decisions of the board, while
retaining the right to seek changes
in such decisions through ethical and constructive
channels.
- I shall
encourage and respect the free expression of
opinion by my fellow board
members and others
who seek a hearing before the board.
- I shall
be involved and knowledgeable about not only
local educational concerns,
but also about
state and national issues.
In
addition, I shall encourage my board of education
to pursue the following goals:
-
The development of educational programs which
meet the individual needs of
every student, regardless of ability, race,
sex, creed, or social standing.
- The
development of procedures for the regular and
systematic evaluation of programs, staff performance,
and board operations to ensure progress toward
educational and fiscal goals.
- The
development of effective school board policies
which provide direction for the operation of
the schools and delegate authority to the superintendent
for their administration.
- The
development of systematic communications which
ensure that the school board, administration,
staff, students, and community are fully informed
and that the staff understands the community's
aspirations for its schools.
- The
development of sound business practices which
ensure that every dollar spent produces maximum
benefits.
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