Board attorney briefs members on School Ethics Act; board moves to affirm NJ code of ethics

Board attorney Doug Sylvestero told the Flemington-Raritan Regional School District board that the School Ethics Act and the board's code of ethics govern both board members and school officials, and outlined key compliance obligations.

"This is the fun part of the meeting where you can learn about all the things you can't do as a..." Sylvestero said as he introduced a "cliff notes" version of the law, then walked members through annual financial-disclosure requirements, what constitutes a conflict of interest and the types of sanctions the state can impose. He explained that the ethics commission can issue reprimands, censures that must be publicly acknowledged, and in severe cases suspend or remove a member.

Sylvestero emphasized the practical steps members should take: file annual financial-disclosure statements with the state, avoid participating in matters that affect relatives or personal financial interests, and refer complaints first to the superintendent rather than taking personal investigatory action. He also noted that advisory opinions from the School Ethics Commission are available and that some advisory requests may be published in anonymized form.

The presentation covered the boundary between policy-making and administration, reminding members that the board sets policy while administrators run day-to-day operations. Sylvestero told members they should "abstain on any matter that touches upon that person's employment in the district," and cautioned that social-media postings and other public comments can still result in varying levels of sanction depending on severity.

After the presentation, the board president moved to affirm the New Jersey School Boards Association code of ethics; a second was recorded and the board called for a roll-call vote. The transcript records the motion and second but does not include the roll-call tally in the public minutes.