Bureau of Indian Education School Board Training Ethics First, welcome to this session. If you haven’t been in another session that congratulated you on taking on this responsibility, then I’d like to do that. Being a board member sometimes isn’t easy—so thank you for being of service to your community and to the children who will be the adults of tomorrow. People like you make your community stronger. 2016-2017

Agenda Welcome Overview Roles and Responsibilities Questions and Discussion Takeaways So you can keep track…here’s where we are and what we’re going to do for the next hour… Right now, lets look at what we want to accomplish in this session...

What If? Your son-in-law asks you to help him get a teaching job at your school. Your cousin sells computers and asks your help in getting him a contract at the school. A member of the business staff tells you school funds have disappeared. A teacher at the school gave your grandchild an unfair grade. What would you do if . . . ? Here are some of the situations you might encounter as a board member. Some of you may have already been involved in similar situations. Let’s look at each… What would you do.

Today’s Objectives Understand : The importance of board ethics Consequences of ethics violations How to determine your board’s ethics How you can assure that ethical standards are followed So what we just discussed leads us to today’s objectives— Let’s go over some of the objectives for today— How many of your boards have a code of ethics? Did you sign or agree to the code when you became a board member? What were some of the thoughts or questions that went through your mind at that time? Did you play a role in creating the code? What was that like?

What are Ethics? A set of moral principles or values The discipline of adhering to moral duty and responsibility over self-interest A set of professional standards or conduct The principles of conduct governing an individual or group Ethical behavior is doing the right thing for the right reason. These are some definitions and descriptions that have been used to describe ethics A good rule of thumb is to remember that ethical behavior is doing the right thing for the right reason

Values to Consider Contemporary Tribal (Cooperation -Spirituality) Trust Honesty Integrity Respect Generosity Fairness Contemporary (Transparent, Fair, Informed) Equality Trustworthiness Honor Integrity Commitment Student Focus As we know though, sometimes people don’t have the same ideas of what is ethical. Ethics are based on values and people have different values. Here are some contrasts that people have made between traditional Tribal values and values in the larger American world. What seems true here? What differences do you see? Where can this lead to confict and misunderstandings? Have you ever seen that happen?

P.L. 100-297 Tribally Controlled School Grants Act Grant applicants certify they: “Will establish safeguards to prohibit employees, appointed or elected officials from using their positions for a purpose that constitutes personal or organizational conflict of interest, or personal gain.” This, however, is the federal legislation that plays a primary role in governing the grants your schools receive. What does this mean to you? There should not be conflict over this. Are there any examples in your experience that are not in keeping with this? This citation is one of many that speaks to the proper use of funds.

Who is Affected? Tribal governance School board members Education committee members School administration Faculty Students Parents While, strictly speaking, your Code of Ethics is agreed to by each board member, everyone in the school system is affected. In fact, many Indian Schools have high turnover among staff because of ethics violations. How do you think each of these groups are affected? The values and ethics of a school start at the top. As a Board your duty is to protect all of these people by assuring a fair and ethical environment and taking action if you see violations.

Developing Your Code Sample Ethical Statements As a Board member of (school) I will strive to: make decisions based on educational needs of children. limit board action to policy, planning and appraisal. not act for special interests or partisan political groups. not use the school for gain of myself, family or friends. Recuse myself from conversations or actions involving my own personal interests or those of friends and family. It is important to be fair and transparent when implementing your code. This begins by creating a written code so that everyone agrees to the same things Your Code of Ethics is a document, that as a board member, you agree to on becoming a board member. Who here has signed an agreement like this? It is usually written in first person and describes specific behaviors that you agree to do or not do On the slide are some items that would belong on a code of conduct for a school board member-- Other important items on a Code of Ethics might include agreement to respect confidential information hold open meetings act in a transparent fashion treat each other and the community with courtesy encourage free expression agree to abide by rules What else is on your school’s Code? What other items might you want to include?

Roles and Responsibilities Develop a Code of Ethics for your board. Publicize it to the community. Decide what to do in the case of violations. Abide by and Enforce the Code. So developing a Code and letting people know what is on it are important. It is also important to develop guidelines so you know in advance just what you will do in the case of ethical violations by anyone on the board or anyone who works at the school. These can range from admonishment, to job actions, to dismissal. What other actions might you take?

Questions for Discussion Does your board have a Code of Ethics? Does your Code of Ethics require updating? Do you see any conflicts arising? How might your Code help you handle conflict and other board situations?

Takeaways What are three things you will remember from this session? Is there anything you will do differently?