Trainer reviews School Ethics Act, disclosure rules and advisory opinions with Bound Brook board

Patty Reese of the New Jersey School Boards Association reviewed the School Ethics Act and the School Ethics Commission’s procedures during the Bound Brook Board of Education’s May meeting, laying out when board members must file financial-disclosure forms, how advisory opinions work and the disciplinary steps the commission can take.

Reese told the board that new school officials must file disclosure statements within 30 days of being sworn in and that annual disclosures are due April 30. She said recent training requirements include completing Governance 1 within 90 days of swearing-in and noted that other governance modules are due within the first year or after re-election, depending on the module.

The training focused on practical standards set by the School Ethics Act, including the “reasonable person” standard the School Ethics Commission uses to judge whether conduct creates “a…