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NJSBA trainer reviews board roles, responsibilities and ethics; Glen Rock board adopts statement of ethics
Summary
A representative from the New Jersey School Boards Association reviewed governance roles, chain-of-command, mandatory training and the School Ethics Act; the Glen Rock board adopted and signed the standard statement of ethics during the organization meeting.
The Glen Rock Board of Education heard a governance and ethics briefing from Matthew Lee of the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), then read and adopted the district's statement of ethics.
Matt Lee, NJSBA representative, opened with a roles-and-responsibilities overview for newly seated board members and a refresher for incumbents. "We're not the state. We don't have authority over boards. We are an association that basically is in place to support you and your role as board members," Lee said, then reviewed the four primary board functions—policy, planning, appraisal and communications—and the distinction between board-level outcomes and superintendent-led implementation. Lee emphasized that individual board members hold authority only when acting at a properly noticed board meeting and reviewed the chain of command for handling staff and parent concerns.
Lee also reviewed the School Ethics Act and recent advisory opinions from the School Ethics Commission, including rules and examples on recusals, conflicts of interest, volunteering in schools, social media, advice-of-counsel defenses and penalties the commissioner can impose (reprimand, censure, suspension, removal). He explained mandatory ethics- and governance-related training timelines for new and continuing board members and encouraged use of NJSBA training and the district attorney for guidance.
Following the training the board read aloud and signed the district statement of ethics and voted to adopt it by roll call.
Why this matters: The training reiterates legal and ethical limits on board-member conduct, clarifies when the board acts as a collective body and informs members about mandatory training and disclosure obligations under New Jersey law. Adopting a written ethics statement at the start of a board term is a standard governance best practice and a requirement for maintaining public trust.
Next steps: Board members will be expected to complete required governance training within the prescribed timeframes and to file annual disclosure statements as required by the School Ethics Commission.
