• File GBA:

• Monomoy Regional School District

•  Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Plan 

• The Monomoy Regional School District believes that it is educationally valuable to provide students with an opportunity to relate to staff members of diverse backgrounds. Accordingly, the following plan is hereby adopted:

  1. The District will provide equal employment opportunities through a positive and effective affirmative action program. These opportunities will be granted to a candidate by the school department regardless of the candidate’s race to include traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture, hair type, hair length and protective hairstyles, national origin, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital or parental status, and disabilities, provided the disability does not preclude performance of bona fide requirements of the position with or without reasonable accommodations. Decisions for employment will be based on the qualifications of an applicant to perform a specific assignment.

  2. The School Committee desires the school affirmative action plan to be active, and for it to comply in good faith with all relevant laws and regulations.

  3. The Superintendent will appoint an employee to serve as affirmative action officer in charge of compliance for the program and in charge of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

  4. The affirmative action officer, working cooperatively with and under the direction of the superintendent of schools, is responsible for executing the affirmative action program. 

• The Affirmative Action Program

  1. Staffing: The District will strive to achieve a diverse staff representing and reflecting the diversity of the community. In order to accomplish this, the affirmative action officer will work with personnel responsible for making or recommending staff appointments in order to achieve that goal. Steps that will be taken may include but are not limited to:

     1. Advertise in publications likely to be read by minorities.

     2. Advertise in placement offices of educational institutions attended by minorities.

     3. The employment application form will include a means by which a minority candidate may identify himself or herself as such.

     4. Qualified and identified minority candidates for employment, promotion, or transfer will be interviewed.

 

SOURCE: MASC - Updated 2022

 

LEGAL REF.:        M.G.L. 151B:4;

603 CMR 26:00

Acts of 2022, Chapter 117 - https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2022/Chapter117

 

CROSS REF.:         AC, Nondiscrimination

Adopted: March 27, 2013
Revised: 5/25/23

The Committee desires to maintain open channels of communication between itself and the staff. The basic line of communication will, however, be through the Superintendent.

Staff Communications to the Committee

Communications or reports to the Committee or any Committee or any member of the Committee from principals, supervisors, teachers, or other staff members shall be submitted through the Superintendent. This necessary procedure shall not be construed as denying the right of any employee to appeal to the Committee from administrative decisions on important matters, provided that the Superintendent shall have been notified of the forthcoming appeal and that it is processed in accordance with the Committee's policy on complaints and grievances. Staff members are also reminded that Committee meetings are public meetings. As such, they provide an excellent opportunity to observe at first hand the  Committee's deliberations on problems of staff concern.

Committee Communications to Staff

All official communications, policies, and directives of staff interest and concern will be communicated to staff members through the Superintendent, and the Superintendent will strive to keep staff fully informed of the Committee's problems, concerns and actions.

Visits to Schools

Individual Committee members interested in visiting schools or classrooms in their capacity as a School Committee member will inform the Superintendent of such visits and make arrangements for visitations through the principals of the various schools. Such visits shall be regarded as
informal expressions of interest in school affairs and not as "inspections" or visits for supervisory or administrative purposes. Official visits by Committee members will be carried on only under Committee authorization and with the full knowledge of staff, including the Superintendent,
principals and other supervisors. 

Adopted: March 27, 2013

Revised:

File: GBEA

Monomoy Regional School Dsitrict

STAFF ETHICS / CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The School Committee expects members of its professional staff to be familiar with the code of ethics that
applies to their profession and to adhere to it in their relationships with students, parents, coworkers, and
officials of the school system.

No employee of the Committee will engage in or have a financial interest in, directly or indirectly, any activity
that conflicts or raises a reasonable question of conflict with his duties and responsibilities in the school system.
Nor will any staff member engage in any type of private business during school time or on school property.
Employees will not engage in work of any type where information concerning customer, client, or employer
originates from any information available to them through school sources.
Moreover, as there should be no conflict of interest in the supervision and evaluation of employees, at no time
may any administrator responsible for the supervision and/or evaluation of an employee be directly related to
him/her.

In order to avoid the appearance of any possible conflict, it is the policy of the School Committee that when an
immediate family member, as defined in the Conflict of Interest statute, of a School Committee member or
district administrator is to be hired into or promoted within the District, the Superintendent shall file public
notice with the School Committee and the Town or District Clerk at least two weeks prior to executing the
hiring in accordance with the law.

All employees of the District must provide evidence to the Superintendent of completion of the online training
course required by the State Ethics Commission.Every 2 years, all current employees, including School
Committee members, must complete the State Ethics Commission's online training. New employees must
complete this training within 30 days of beginning employment and every 2 years thereafter. Upon completing
the program, employees should print out the completion certificate and keep a copy for themselves. Employees
will be required to provide a copy of the completion certificate to the municipal or district Clerk through the
Superintendent's office.

LEGAL REFS.: M.G.L. 71:52; 268A:1 et seq.

Adopted: March 27, 2013

Revised: November 21, 2019

File: GBEB

Monomoy Regional School District

STAFF CONDUCT POLICY

All staff members in the Monomoy Regional School District have a responsibility to familiarize themselves with and abide by the laws of the State as these affect their work, the policies of the School Committee, and the regulations designed to implement them.

In the area of personal conduct, the Committee expects that teachers and others will conduct themselves in a manner that not only reflects credit to the school system but also sets forth a model worthy of emulation by students.

All staff members will be expected to carry out their assigned responsibilities with conscientious, concern.

Essential to the success of ongoing school operations and the instructional program are the following specific responsibilities, which will be required of all personnel:

1. Respectful interactions with students, colleagues and other constituents
2. Faithfulness and promptness in attendance at work.
3. Support and enforcement of policies of the Committee and their implementing procedures and school rules in regard to students.
4. Diligence in submitting required reports promptly at the times specified.
5. Care and protection of school property.
6. Concern for and attention to their own and the District’s legal responsibility for the safety and welfare of students, including the need to ensure that students are under supervision at all times.
7. Adherence to ethics as set forth by each employee’s discipline.

Legal Reference: M.G.L. 71:37H; 264:11; 264:14

Adopted: March 27, 2013

Revised: November 21, 2019

Gifts

The acceptance of personal gifts by school personnel from school suppliers, from parents and/or students can be subject to misinterpretation. When families, students, or others wish to express personal appreciation to a teacher or other staff member, the School Committee urges them to find modes of expression that do not involve personal gifts.

In keeping with this policy, no employee of the School Committee will accept a personal gift from a business concern supplying, or with an interest in supplying, goods, materials, equipment, or services to the school system. This restriction does not relate to the acceptance of gifts for the school system, or to the acceptance of small and clearly identifiable advertising and promotional materials.

The Ethics Commission recently created an exemption to permit class gifts to teachers. A teacher may accept a gift, or several gifts during the school year, from public school students and/or their parents and guardians, with an aggregated value of up to $150, if the gift is identified only as being from the class, and the identity of the givers and the individual amounts given are not identified to the recipient. Gifts received pursuant to this exemption are not required to be disclosed. The donor is unknown, so a reasonable person would not conclude that the gift would influence the teacher's conduct with regard to any individual or would cause the teacher to favor any individual.

Solicitations

In spirit, the School Committee supports the many worthwhile charitable drives that take place in the community and is gratified when school employees give them their support. However, the solicitation of funds from staff members through the use of school personnel and school time
must be held at a minimum. Therefore, no solicitations of funds for charitable purposes will be made among staff members except with specific School Committee approval. Whenever such solicitations are made, no pressure will be exerted to obtain contributions even though the drive
is one that the School Committee has specifically approved. 

Legal references:

M.G.L. 268A: 3

Cross references:

KHA, Public Solicitations in the Schools

JP, Student Donations and Gifts

Adopted: March 27, 2013

Revised:

1. School District employees shall comply with all of the following provisions relating to online solicitations and the use of crowdfunding services for school-related purposes as well as all applicable laws, regulations and district policies. No online fundraising may occur except as provided below.
2. The Superintendent shall have final authority to approve any online fundraising activities by school district employees and shall determine and communicate to Principals the circumstances under which online fundraising proposals shall require Superintendent or School Committee approval in accordance with law and school district policy (KCD). The Principal of each school shall approve all online fundraising activities within their buildings prior to any employee posting any such fundraising solicitation.
3. Any solicitation shall be for educational purposes only (field trips, supplies, supplemental materials, books, etc.). The solicitation of personal items (coats, nutritional snacks, etc.) shall only be to benefit students directly. To the extent an employee solicits any technology or software, the employee shall secure the prior written approval of the Director of Technology or designee prior to any such solicitation. Any employee seeking to display or post a photograph of a student in conjunction with a fundraising solicitation must first secure the written consent of the student's parent or guardian.
4. Employees shall not use a crowdfunding source, or set up their appeal in such a way, that they are asking for donations directly from people over whom the employee making the request has authority, or with whom the public employee is having official dealings (such as parents/guardians of student's in a teacher's classroom - the solicitation can say "Classroom X needs tissues and crayons," but it shouldn't be directed to parents/guardians who have shared email addresses with the teacher for purposes of communicating about their student).
5. Employees using crowdfunding services shall periodically disclose in writing to the Superintendent the names of all individuals whom the employee has directly solicited in any manner including but not limited to oral, written, or electronic solicitation.  The Superintendent shall maintain these disclosures as public records available for public review.
6. Employees may only use crowdfunding services that send the items or proceeds solicited by the employee directly to the employee's school or to the school district.  Employees must verify under the crowdfunding service's terms and conditions that they meet all requirements for such solicitation.  Items or proceeds directly sent to employees are considered gifts to the employee and may result in violation of state ethics laws.
7. If an employee's proposal is approved by the crowdfunding service, the employee agrees to use the donated materials solely as stated in the employee's proposal.
8. If a solicitation is not fully funded within the time period required by the crowdfunding service, or the solicitation cannot be concluded for any reason, every attempt will be made to return donations to the donors. Donations unable to be returned shall only be used as account credits for future solicitations.
9. Unless otherwise approved by the Superintendent in writing, all goods and/or proceeds solicited and received through any online solicitation shall become the property of the School Committee, and not of the individual employee who solicited the item(s) or funds. The employee is prohibited from taking any such item(s) or funds to another school or location, without the Superintendent's written approval.

Legal references:

MGL 44:53A; 71:37A; 268A:3; 268A:23;

Ethics Commission Advisory Opinion EC-COI-12-1;

Cross references:

GBEA, Staff Ethics/Conflict of Interest;

GBEBC, Gifts To and Solicitations by Staff;

KCD, Public Gifts to Schools

Source:

MASC February 2018

NOTE: Crowdfunding services are defined as any online service used for the solicitation of goods, services, or money from a large number of people via the internet or other electronic network. Examples include GoFundme, Kickstarter, Indiegogo, YouCaring, and DonorsChoose.

Adopted: May 28, 2021

Revised:

• File GBEC: 

• Monomoy Regional School District

• Drug-Free Workplace Policy - DRAFT

• The District will provide a drug-free workplace and certifies that it will:

  1. Notify all employees in writing that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession or use of a controlled substance, is prohibited in the District's workplace, and specify the actions that will be taken against employees for violation of such prohibitions.

  2. Establish a drug-free awareness program to inform employees about the dangers of drug abuse in the workplace; the District's policy of maintaining a drug-free work-place; and available drug counseling, rehabilitation, and employee assistance programs; and the penalty that may be imposed on employees for drug abuse violations occurring in the workplace.

  3. Make it a requirement that each employee whose employment is funded by a federal grant be given a copy of the statement as required.

  4. Notify the employee in the required statement that as a condition of employment under the grant, the employee will abide by the terms of the statement, and will notify the District of any criminal drug statute conviction for a violation occurring in the workplace no later than five days after such conviction.

  5. Notify the federal agency within ten days after receiving notice from an employee or otherwise receiving notice of such conviction.

  6. Take one of the following actions within 30 days of receiving notice with respect to any employee who is so convicted; take appropriate personnel action against such an employee, up to and including termination; or require such employee to participate satisfactorily in a drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program approved for such purposes by a federal, state or local health law enforcement, or other appropriate agency.

  7. Make a good faith effort to continue to maintain a drug-free workplace through implementation of all the provisions of this policy.

• Legal references:
  The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988
  41 USC 81

• Cross references:
  JICH, Drug and Alcohol Use by Students

• IHAMB, Teaching about Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco 

• 
  
  

• Adopted: March 27, 2013
  Revised:5/25/23

File: GBED

TOBACCO USE ON SCHOOL PREMISES BY STAFF MEMBERS

The use of any tobacco products within the school buildings, the school facilities, or on the school grounds, on
school-sponsored trips, or on school buses by school personnel is prohibited.
Use of any tobacco products, including, but not limited to: cigarettes, cigars, little cigars, chewing tobacco, pipe
tobacco and snuff and electronic cigarettes, electronic cigars, electronic pipes or other similar products that rely
on vaporization or aerosolization, within the school buildings, school facilities, on school grounds or school
buses, or at school sponsored events by any individual, including school personnel, is prohibited at all times.

LEGAL REF.: Ch 71:37H

Adopted: March 27, 2013
Revised: 11/21/2019

To promote a safe environment for students, all adults in school buildings will wear identification badges.

All staff are required to wear photo identification badges on school grounds when school is in session. 

Temporary badges will be provided to substitute staff and visitors. Staff will direct adults not wearing badges to report to the office.

Adopted: March 27, 2013

Revised:

• File GBGB: 

Monomoy Regional School District

• STAFF PERSONAL SECURITY AND SAFETY 

1. Through its overall safety program and various policies pertaining to school personnel, the Committee shall seek to assure the  safety of employees during their working hours and assist them in the maintenance of good health.

2. The Superintendent may require an employee to submit to a physical examination by the school physician whenever that employee's health appears to be a hazard to children or others in the school system, or when a doctor's certificate is needed to verify need for sick leave.

3. School employees, their families and members of their household are eligible to use the confidential services provided by the municipality's employee assistance program,

• Contract references:
  Collective Bargaining Agreements
  
  

• Legal references:
  M.G.L. 71:54; 71:55B; 71:55C
  Cross references:
  
  

• EB, Safety Program
  GCBD, Professional Staff Fringe Benefits
  GDBD, Support Staff Fringe Benefits
  
  

• Adopted: March 27, 2013
  Revised: 5/25/2023

File: GBGF

Monomoy Regional School District

Family Medical Leave Act

The School System shall comply with the mandatory provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.  The Superintendent shall issue, and from time to time amend, procedures setting forth the rights and procedures granted by the Act, and shall ensure compliance with those procedures either personally or by delegation, or by some combination of personal oversight and delegation.

United States DEPARTMENT OF LABOR-FMLA

LEGAL REFS.:   P.L. 103-3, "Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993"Adopted

Adopted: March 27, 2013

Revised: June 27, 2018

 

File: GBI

Monomoy Regional School District

STAFF PARTICIPATION IN POLITICAL ACTIVITIES POLICY

The School Committee recognizes that employees of the school system have the same fundamental civic responsibilities and privileges as other citizens.  Among these are campaigning for an elective public office and holding an elective or appointive office.

In connection with campaigning, an employee will not: use school system facilities, equipment or supplies; discuss his/her campaign with school personnel or students during the working day; use any time during the working day for campaigning purposes.  Under no circumstances, will students be pressured into campaigning for any staff member.

LEGAL REF.:  M.G.L. 55; 71:44

Adopted: March 27, 2013

Revised: November 21, 2019

Information about staff members is required for the daily administration of the school system, for implementing salary and other personnel policies, for budget and financial planning, for responding to appropriate inquiries about employees, and for meeting the School Committee's education reporting requirements. To meet these needs, the Superintendent will implement a comprehensive and efficient system of personnel records maintenance and control under the following guidelines:

1. A personnel folder for each present and former employee will be accurately maintained in the central administrative office. In addition to the application for employment and references, the folders will contain records and information relative to compensation, payroll deductions, evaluations, and any other pertinent information.
2. The Superintendent will be the official custodian for personnel files and will have overall responsibility for maintaining and preserving the confidentiality of the files within the provisions of the law.
3. Personnel records are considered confidential under the law and will not be open to public inspection. Access to personnel files will be limited to persons authorized by the Superintendent to use the files for the reasons cited above.
4. Each employee will have the right, upon written request, to review the contents of his own personnel file.
5. Employees may make written objections to any information contained in the file. Any written objection must be signed by the staff member and will become part of the employee's personnel file. Further, no negative comment will be placed in a staff member's file unless it is signed by the person making the comment and the staff member is informed of the comment and afforded the opportunity to include his written response
   in the file.
6. Lists of school system employees' names and home addresses will be released only to governmental agencies as required for official reports or by the laws.

Legal references:

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Sec. 438, P.L. 90-247

Title IV, as amended

88 Stat. 571-574 (20 U.S.C. 1232g) and regulations

M.G.L. 4:7; 71:42C

Teachers' Agreement

Contract references:

All Agreements

Cross references:

KDB, Public’s Right to Know

Adopted March 27, 2013

Revides:

The School Committee will encourage the administration to develop effective means of resolving differences that may arise among employees and between employees and administrators; reduce potential areas of grievances; and establish and maintain recognized channels of communication between the staff, administration, and School Committee.

It is the Committee's desire that grievance procedures provide for prompt and equitable adjustment of differences at the lowest possible administrative level, and that each employee be assured opportunity for an orderly presentation and review of complaints and concerns.

Channels established will provide for the following:

1. That teachers and other school employees may appeal a ruling of a principal or other administrator to the Superintendent.

2. That all school employees may appeal a ruling of the Superintendent to the Committee, except in those areas where the law or the collective bargaining agreement has specifically assigned authority to the principal and/or the Superintendent and Committee action would be in conflict with that law.

3. That all hearings of complaints before the Superintendent or Committee be conducted in the presence of the administrator who made the ruling that is the subject of the grievance.

The process established for the resolution of grievances in contracts negotiated with recognized employee bargaining units will apply only to "grievances" as defined in the particular contract.

The School Committee believes that complaints are best handled and resolved as close to their origin as possible, and that the professional staff should be given every opportunity to consider the issues and attempt to resolve the problem prior to involvement by the Committee. Therefore, the proper channeling of complaints will be as follows:

• teacher
• school building administrator
• Superintendent
• School Committee

If a complaint, which was presented to the Committee and referred back through the proper channels, is adjudicated before it comes back to the School Committee, a report of the disposition of the matter will be made to the Committee and then placed in the official files.

Matters referred to the Superintendent and/or School Committee must be in writing and should be specific in terms of the action desired.

The Committee expects the professional staff to receive complaints courteously and to make a proper reply to the complainant.

Legal references:

M.G.L. 150E:5 and 8

603 CMR 26:09 and 26.10

Contract references:

All Contract Agreements

Adopted: March 27, 2013

Revised:

• File GCA:

• Monomoy Regional School Committee

•  Professional Staff Positions 

1. All professional staff positions in the school system will be created initially by the School Committee. It is the Committee's intent to activate a sufficient number of positions to accomplish the school system's goals and objectives and to provide for the equitable staffing of each school building. Although such positions may remain temporarily unfilled, only the Committee may eliminate a position it has created.
   
   

2. Each time a new position is established by the Committee, or an existing position is modified, the Superintendent will present for the Committee's approval a job description for the position, which specifies the job holder's qualifications and the job's performance responsibilities. The Superintendent will maintain a comprehensive set of job descriptions for all positions.
   
   

• Adopted: March 27, 2013
  Revised:5/25/23