BCC: NEPOTISM
Employment
It shall be the policy of the Kittery School Committee not to employ as school unit staff any person who is a member of the immediate family of a School Committee member or of the Superintendent. Immediate family of School Committee members or the Superintendent who are employed by the school unit on the date of adoption of this policy are not affected by this paragraph.
By Maine law (20-A M.R.S.A. § 1002(2), a School Committee member’s spouse is precluded from employment under any circumstances in any public school within the jurisdiction of the School Committee to which the member is elected.
Supervision and Evaluation
No person shall be employed in or assigned to a position that is within the administrative supervision of a member of his/her immediate family, nor in a position in which he/she is supervised or evaluated, in whole or in part, by a member of his/her immediate family.
Exceptions
In extraordinary circumstances, the School Committee may approve an exception to the prohibitions on the employment of immediate family so long as the candidate is qualified for the position to which he/she has applied, the hiring is in the best interest of the School District and its students, and the candidate is not the spouse of a School Committee member.
Volunteers
Under Maine law (20-A M.R.S.A. § 1002(2-A)), a School Committee member or a School Committee member’s spouse may not serve as a volunteer when that volunteer has primary responsibility for a curricular, co-curricular, or extracurricular program or activity and reports directly to the superintendent, principal, athletic director, or other school administrator within the jurisdiction of the School Committee.
Definitions
For the purpose of this policy:
A. “Immediate family” means spouse, brother, sister, parent, son, or daughter.
B. “Administrative supervision” refers to the authority of a person in the position of principal or higher.
Adopted: May 4, 2021
Cross Reference: BCB - Conflict of Interest
Legal Reference: 20-A M.R.S.A. § 1002