4018 - Community Relations—Political Activity

Adoption Date: 12/01/2014

Revision History: Reviewed 12/14/2020

The Board requires that staff members who desire to seek public office or to engage in other political activity likely to interfere with their normal work requirements seek prior Board approval.

In order to guard against placing students or staff members under undue pressure to adopt particular positions on political issues, the Board directs that employees avoid using their positions or their access to school materials or facilities for solicitation, promotion, recruiting or to otherwise work for the election or defeat of any candidate for public office or to influence the outcome of an election or a decision by a governing body on a political issue. Specifically, employees are restricted from the use of the following for such purposes.

A. Their position, whether as an instructor or as a leader or supervisor of other employees;

B. Classrooms, buildings or facilities;

C. Students; or

D. School equipment, materials or communication systems (including e-mail).

These restrictions do not apply to employees who are engaged in authorized lobbying activities on behalf of the district. The restrictions also do not apply to the distribution of employee association correspondence or newsletters in the normal course of association business, even though those communication media may contain information concerning adopted positions of the association on political issues.