Conflicts of Interest
The Board of Education believes that employees of the Prince George’s County Public Schools should avoid conflict of interest with their employment or performance of duty with the Board and other outside interest. To that end, the following guidelines are provided.
Business Transactions
Except as provided in this paragraph, Board employees may not use their position in the school system to purchase, or arrange for someone else to purchase, an item originally acquired by the Board for use in the school system. If the Superintendent expressly permits the purchase of an item regularly sold by, or previously declared surplus, by the Board, an employee may purchase it after the sale has been made available to the public at large at regularly established prices.
Royalties
Board employees may not be paid royalties for textbooks, materials of instruction or equipment written or developed on employer time. All such rights shall accrue to the Board of Education. Unless the Superintendent gives prior written approval, employees may not use for commercial purposes any photographs or materials, including testing or other confidential statistical data gained through their position with the Board.
Tutoring
Except as provided, Board employees regularly employed on a contract as a certificated professional employee may not tutor for compensation any student who is enrolled in the school where the employee is assigned as a result of the employee’s contract with the Board, or a student the employee taught in the immediately preceding school semester.
Board employees working for a school system sponsored tutoring program or an approved Supplemental Educational Services (SES) vendor may tutor any student.
Counseling
Except as provided in this paragraph, Board employees or consultants may not counsel or provide psychological services for compensation to students currently enrolled in the public schools. This does not include counseling or psychological services provided after regular working hours with the Board where the services being provided would not be readily available to students for free by the Board.
Solicitation
Board employees may not solicit other Board employees or any of the school system students for the sale of goods or services during the employee’s working hours. Board employees may not assert endorsement by other Board employees.
Board employees may not compile from public school data a list of students’ or parents’ names and addresses for purposes of solicitation of either goods or services provided by the employee. Board employees may not give this information to any other person or commercial enterprise, unless the compilation and distribution of this information has been approved by the employee’s supervisor and serves a valid educational purpose or school objective.
Board employees may not use their position or authority as a contracting agent of the Board for personal gain.
Policy Adopted as 0410 7/1/77
Policy Amended 1/12/78
Policy Amended 4/12/90
Policy Amended and Renumbered 4116 5/12/03
Policy Reviewed – No Revisions Required 12/8/04
Policy Reviewed – No Revisions Required 10/10/05
Policy Amended 4/20/06
Policy Reviewed – No Revisions Required 11/1/06
Policy Amended 4/29/10
Updated April 29, 2010.
