SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER AUTHORITY

Because all powers of the School Committee derived from state laws (R.I.G.L. 16-2-9) are granted in terms of action as a group, members of the School Committee have authority only when acting as a Committee legally in session.

The School Committee will not be bound in any way by any statement or action on the part of an individual member except when such statement or action is a result of specific instructions of the Committee.

No member of the Committee, by virtue of their office, will exercise any administrative responsibility with respect to the schools or command the services of any school employee.

The School Committee will function as a body and all policy decisions and other matters, as required by law, will be settled by an official vote of the Committee sitting in formal session.

Duties

The duties and obligations of the individual Committee member may be enumerated as follows:

1. To become familiar with the General Laws of Rhode Island relating to education and School Committee operations, regulations of the Rhode Island Board of Education, policies and procedures of this School Committee and School Department.

2. To keep abreast of new laws and the latest trends in education.

3. To have a general knowledge of the goals, objectives, and programs of the schools.

4. To work effectively with other Committee members without trying either to dominate the Committee or neglect their share of the work.

5. To respect the privileged communication that exists in executive sessions by maintaining strict confidentiality on matters discussed in these sessions, except that which becomes part of the public record, once it has been approved for release.

6. To vote and act in Committee impartially for the good of the students.

7. To accept the will of the majority vote in all cases, and to remember that they are one of a team and must abide by, and carry out, all Committee decisions once they are made.

8. To represent the Committee and the schools to the public in a way that promotes interest and support.

9. To refer questions and complaints to the proper school authorities as delineated in policies KE, KEB, and KEC.

10. To comply with the accepted code of ethics for School Committee members.

11. To actively participate in School Committee meetings and to attend those meetings regularly.

SOURCE: MASC

ADOPTED: April 26, 2021