The Haverford Township School District Policy Committee reviewed a proposed fraud and reporting policy (Policy 828) on May 15 and asked staff to clarify confidentiality rules for investigations, explicitly protect good‑faith reporters from retaliation and to adjust operational timing for deposits and fund handling.

Committee members said adding a fraud policy is a best practice flagged in compliance monitoring and supported a policy that provides reporting channels, confidentiality protections and anti‑retaliation assurances for employees who raise concerns in good faith.

Why it matters: a clear fraud policy sets channels to report suspected misuse of public funds and protects staff who report wrongdoing while specifying controls such as check signers and deposit timelines.

Discussion points and requested edits
- Whistleblower protections and confidentiality: The draft already stated employees who raise good‑faith concerns “shall not be retaliated against.” Committee members asked for explicit anti‑retaliation language (discipline up to termination for retaliators) and to strengthen the confidentiality sentence so results remain confidential to those with a legitimate need unless and until the results are intentionally made public.
- Deposit timing and business days: The draft required checks and cash to be deposited within 24–48 hours. Members suggested clarifying that the timeline should be 1–2 business days to accommodate weekends or holidays.
- Check signers and authorization: The policy already calls for annually approved check signers; staff confirmed that detail is governed elsewhere but that the fraud policy can reference the practice and give the business office authority to follow established signatory controls.

Direction to staff and next steps
- Staff to revise the draft to: (1) strengthen whistleblower protections and explicitly prohibit retaliation (discipline up to and including termination for violators); (2) tighten confidentiality language to say investigation results are confidential except to those with legitimate need unless or until results are intentionally made public; (3) change deposit timing to 1–2 business days; and (4) ensure cross‑references to existing check‑signer or accounts policies are included.

Ending: Committee supported advancing a fraud policy with clarified whistleblower protections, confidentiality rules and routine financial controls; staff will return a revised draft for committee review.