3233 - POLITICAL ACTIVITIES OF STAFF

Southern Local School District

Bylaws & Policies

3233 - POLITICAL ACTIVITIES OF STAFF

The Board of Education recognizes and encourages the right of its employees, as citizens, to engage in political activity. However, the Board also recognizes that school property and school time, paid for by all the people, may not be used for political purposes.

The Board adopts the following guidelines for those staff members who intend to engage in political activities:

	A.	No employee shall engage in political activities upon property under the jurisdiction of the Board of Education.
	B.	Political circulars or petitions may not be posted or distributed in school.
	C.	The collection of and/or the solicitation for campaign funds or campaign workers is prohibited on school property.
	D.	The use of students for writing or addressing political materials or the distribution of such materials to students is forbidden.
	E.	The display of any materials that would promote the candidacy of any candidate in a facility of this District used as a polling place on an officially declared election day is prohibited.

Board employees who hold elective or appointive office are not entitled to time off from their school duties for reasons incident to such offices, except as such time may qualify under the leave policies of the Board.

The following situations are exempt from the prohibitions of this policy:

	A.	The discussion and study of politics and political issues, when such discussion and study are appropriate to classroom studies, such as history, current events, and political science.
	B.	The conduct of student elections and campaigning connected therewith.
	C.	The conduct of employee representative elections.
	D.	Student and staff support of school levies.

Violation of any of the foregoing rules shall, at the discretion of the Board, constitute cause for reprimand, penalty or dismissal.

R.C. 3313.20