| The School Board of Polk County |
| Bylaws & Policies |
| Unless a specific policy has been amended and the date the policy was revised is noted at the bottom of that policy, the bylaws and policies of The School Board of Polk County were adopted on November 12, 2013 and were in effect beginning November 12, 2013. |
3129 - CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The proper performance of school business is dependent upon high standards of honesty, integrity, impartiality, and professional conduct by School Board employees. Further, such characteristics are essential to the Board’s commitment to earn and keep the public’s confidence. For these reasons, the Board adopts the following procedures to assure that conflicts of interest do not occur. These procedures are not intended to be all inclusive, nor to substitute for good judgment on the part of all District Board members, employees, officers, and agents.
| A. | No employee, officer, or agent shall engage in or have a financial interest, directly or indirectly, in any activity that conflicts with the employee’s job duties and responsibilities in the school system. | |
| B. | No employee, officer, or agent shall engage in business, private practice of their profession, the rendering of services, or the sale of goods of any type where advantage is taken of any professional relationship they may have with any student, client, or parents of such students or clients in the course of their employment with the District. | |
| Included, by way of illustration rather than limitation are the following: |
| 1. | the provision of any private lessons or services for a fee; | ||
| 2. | the use, sale, or improper divulging of any privileged information about a student or client gained in the course of the employee’s employment or through access to District records; | ||
| 3. | the referral of any student or client for lessons or services to any private business or professional practitioner if there is any expectation of reciprocal referrals, sharing of fees, or other remuneration; | ||
| 4. | the requirement of students or clients to purchase any private goods or services provided by an employee or any business, or professional practitioner with whom any employee has a financial relationship, as a condition of receiving any grades, credits, promotions, approvals, or recommendations. |
| C. | No employee, officer, or agent shall make use of materials, equipment, or facilities of the District in private practice. Examples would be the use of facilities before, during, or after regular business hours for service to private practice clients, or the checking out of items from an instructional materials center for private practice. |
Exceptions to any provision in Parts A through C of this policy shall be approved in advance by the Superintendent consistent with State law.
Employees, officers, or agents may not participate in the selection, award, or administration of a contract supported by a Federal grant/award if s/he has a real or apparent conflict of interest. Such a conflict of interest would arise when the employee, any member of his/her immediate family, his/her partner, or an organization which employs or is about to employ any of the parties described in this section, has a financial or other interest in or a tangible personal benefit from a firm considered for a contract.
Employees, officers, or agents may neither solicit nor accept gratuities, favors, or anything of monetary value from contractors or parties to subcontracts or vendors or entities seeking to do business with the District.
To the extent that the District has a parent, affiliate, or subsidiary organization that is not a State, local government, or Indian tribe, the School District may not conduct a procurement action involving the parent, affiliate, or subsidiary organization if the School District is unable, or appears to be unable, to be impartial.
Employees, officers and agents must disclose any potential conflict of interest which may lead to a violation of this policy to the School District. Upon discovery of any potential conflict of interest, the School District will disclose, in writing, the potential conflict of interest to the appropriate Federal awarding agency or, if applicable, the pass-through entity.
The District will also disclose, in a timely manner, all violations of Federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity that affect a Federal award to the appropriate Federal awarding agency or, if applicable, the pass-through entity.
Employees, officers and agents found to be in violation of this conflict of interest policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination, consistent with substantive and procedural due process and as permitted by applicable Board policy, State law, and/or applicable provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.
F.S. 112.112, 112.312, 112.313, 1006.32
2 C.F.R. 200.112, 200.113, 200.318
© Neola 2016