The Board commits itself and its member to ethical, businesslike, and lawful conduct, including proper use of authority and appropriate decorum when acting as Board members.

1. Members must represent un-conflicted loyalty to the interest of the citizens and
    taxpayers of Cobb County.

2. Members will vote in accordance with the best interest of the Cobb County School
    District (District) as a whole and not a particular segment thereof.

3. Members must avoid conflict of interest with respect to their fiduciary responsibility.:
    a. There must be no self-dealing or any conduct of private business or personal services
        between any Board member and the District. Nothing contained herein shall be
        interpreted to prohibit a Board Member, in his or her individual capacity, from
        receiving an expenses paid trip while serving as a chaperone on a school-sponsored
        field trip or excursion in accordance with applicable Policies and Rules.
    b. When the Board is to decide upon an issue about which a Board member has an
        unavoidable conflict of interest, that member shall absent herself or himself without
        comment from not only the vote but also the deliberation.
    c. Board members must not use their positions to obtain employment for themselves,
       family members, or close associates. Should a member apply for employment,
       he or she must first resign.
    d. Members will annually disclose their involvements with other organizations, with
        vendors, or any other associations that might produce a conflict. (See Policy BCB.)

4. Board members may not attempt to exercise individual authority over the District
    or its employees, except as explicitly set forth in Board policies.
    a. Members’ interaction with the Superintendent or with staff must recognize the lack of
        authority vested in individual Board members over staff or to insert themselves into
        staff operations, except when explicitly Board-authorized. (This is not intended to
        restrict or discourage normal and open communications between the governing board,
        staff, and community). While the Board expects individual members to be given
        common courtesy, it does not require the Superintendent and staff to heed any
        individual member’s opinions or instructions.
        (1) No Board member can place himself or herself between staff members in their
             disputes or negotiations.
        (2) No Board member may serve on staff committees.
    b. Members’ interactions with public, press, or other entities must recognize the same
        limitation and the inability of any Board member to speak for the Board except to
        repeat explicit stated Board decisions.
    c. Members will give no consequence or voice to individual judgments of Superintendent
        or staff performance outside of executive session.

5. Members will respect the confidentiality appropriate to issues of a sensitive nature.
    a. Members will respect the confidentiality of executive session.

6. Members will seek to channel diversity into a single position.
    a. If members approach disputes personally there can only be winners and losers.
        (Compromise may not be the answer - example: two different approaches, either may
        be better than a compromise.)
    b. Regardless of any member’s dissent from a decision of the Board, he or she must
        support that the Superintendent is bound by directions given by the Board as a whole.
        Individual Board members may not direct their differences of opinion to staff in a
        manner which would create dissension or polarization in the organization or undermine
        a decision of the Board majority.

7. The public is represented by the Board as a body, not individual Board Members.

8. Board members should allow the representative from a post to have the first right to
    make a motion regarding a recommendation that affects that particular post.

9. Board members who receive complaints/concerns from another Board member‘s post
    shall refer those to the Superintendent, or designee, and to the Board member who
    represents that post.

10. Board members shall refer employee/citizen concerns/complaints to the Superintendent;
     the Superintendent or appropriate administrator should communicate back to that Board
     member any pertinent information or action.

11. When Board members request reports which require research, please allow for proper
     preparation time.

12. Provide full documentation in the form of receipts (or other evidence of payment in
     accordance with accepted accounting practices) or a daily mileage log for any expenses
     for which reimbursement is requested from the District.

The Board may consider formal action against a member violating the provisions of this policy as allowed by law and including:
    a. Verbal reprimand from Board in private
    b. Written reprimand
    c. Censure
    d. Removal from any Board committee or removal from any Board officer’s position.

Adopted: 8/23/01
Confirmed: 5/9/07
Revised: 1/22/04