As a member of the Indiana School Boards Association, the Board of School Trustees subscribes to the Code of Ethics adopted by the Indiana School Boards Association. That code is as follows:

A School Board Member should honor the high responsibility which his/her membership demands:

BY thinking always in terms of "children first".

BY understanding that the basic function of the School Board Member is "policy-

making" and not "administrative" and by accepting the responsibility of learning

to discriminate intelligently between these two functions.

BY accepting the responsibility along with his fellow Board Members of seeing that

the maximum of facilities and resources is provided for the proper functioning of

schools.

BY refusing to "play politics" in either the traditional partisan, or in any petty sense.

BY representing at all times the entire school community.

BY accepting the responsibility of becoming well informed concerning the duties of

Board Members, and the proper functions of public schools.

BY recognizing the responsibility as a State official to seek the improvement of

education throughout the State.

A School Board Member should respect his/her relationships with other members of the Board:

BY recognizing that authority rests only with the Board in official meetings, and that

the individual member has no legal status to bind the Board outside of such

meetings.

BY recognizing the integrity of his predecessors and associates and the merit of

their work.

BY refusing to make statements or promises as to how he/she will vote on any

matter which should properly come before the Board as a whole.

BY making decisions only after all facts bearing on a question have been presented

and discussed.

BY respecting the opinion of others and by graciously conforming to the principle of

"majority rule".

BY refusing to participate in irregular meetings, such as "secret" or "star chamber"

meetings, which are not official and which all members do not have the

opportunity to attend.

A School Board Member should maintain desirable relations with the superintendent of schools and his/her staff:

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BY striving to procure, when the vacancy exists, the best professional leader

available for the head administrative post.

BY giving the superintendent full administrative authority for properly discharging

his/her professional duties, and also by hold him/her responsible for acceptable

results.

BY acting only upon the recommendation of the superintendent in matters or

employment or dismissal of school personnel.

BY having the superintendent present at all meetings of the Board except when

his/her contract and salary are under consideration.

BY referring all complaints to the proper administrative office and by discussing

them only at a regular meeting after failure of administrative solution.

BY striving to provide adequate safeguards around the superintendent and other

staff members to the end that they can live happily and comfortably in the

community and discharge their educational functions on a thoroughly

professional basis.

BY presenting personal criticisms of any employee directly to the superintendent.

A School Board Member should meet his/her responsibilities to his/her community:

BY attempting to appraise fairly both the present and future educational needs of

the community.

BY regarding it as a major responsibility of the Board to interpret the aims and the

methods of the schools to the community.

BY insisting that all school business transactions be on an open, ethical, and

above board basis.

BY vigorously seeking adequate financial support for the schools.

BY refusing to use his/her position on a School Board in any way whatsoever for

personal gain or personal prestige.

BY refusing to discuss personnel matters or any other confidential business of the

Board in his/her home, on the street, or in his/her office.

BY winning the community's confidence that all is being done in the best interests of

school children.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Adoption Date: September 22, 1976

Legal Ref:

Cross Ref: 2 of 2