Letter: School nepotism can easily be avoided

The Beaufort County Board of Education seems to agree that nepotism can be a problem but are now considering a policy that allows Superintendent Jeff Moss to approve exceptions without board approval. What exceptions? None are allowed.

I agree that Moss probably can't keep track of marriages, particularly when they happen quietly during the current year. However, an effective nepotism policy applies to all employees and is managed and enforced by superintendents, directors, managers and supervisors within the school system. This policy should have clear language that guides the actions of all employees and places specific responsibility on unit managers.

An example would be the marriage of a supervisor to an administrative assistant in the same department. The unit manager would report this violation to his/her superior as well as the human resources department. Before the start of the next school year, the situation would need to be remedied with a resignation or transfer by either. If not, the supervisor would be terminated for the policy violation. No exceptions.

This only works if employees at all levels understand the policy and know the consequences of violation. The notion that Moss handles the exceptions is the school board's version of the "fox guarding the henhouse."

Richard Bradbury

This story was originally published January 16, 2016 at 10:26 PM with the headline "Letter: School nepotism can easily be avoided."