Section 20-2-63. Prohibit certain conflicts of interest of board members

   (a) (1) No local board of education member shall use or attempt to use his or her official position to secure unwarranted privileges, advantages, or employment for himself or herself, his or her immediate family member, or others.

   (2) No local board of education member shall act in his or her official capacity in any matter where he or she, his or her immediate family member, or a business organization in which he or she has an interest has a material financial interest that would reasonably be expected to impair his or her objectivity or independence of judgment. Compliance with Code Section 20-2-505 shall not constitute a violation of this paragraph.

   (3) No local board of education member shall solicit or accept or knowingly allow his or her immediate family member or a business organization in which he or she has an interest to solicit or accept any gift, favor, loan, political contribution, service, promise of future employment, or other thing of value based upon an understanding that the gift, favor, loan, contribution, service, promise, or other thing of value was given or offered for the purpose of influencing that board member in the discharge of his or her official duties. This paragraph shall not apply to the solicitation or acceptance of contributions to the campaign of an announced candidate for elective public office if the local board of education member has no knowledge or reason to believe that the campaign contribution, if accepted, was given with the intent to influence the local board of education member in the discharge of his or her official duties. For purposes of this paragraph, a gift, favor, loan, contribution, service, promise, or other thing of value shall not include the items contained in subparagraphs (a)(2)(A) through (a)(2)(J) of Code Section 16-10-2.

   (4) No local board of education member shall use, or knowingly allow to be used, his or her official position or any information not generally available to the members of the public which he or she receives or acquires in the course of and by reason of his or her official position for the purpose of securing financial gain for himself or herself, his or her immediate family member, or any business organization with which he or she is associated.

   (5) No local board of education member or business organization in which he or she has an interest shall represent any person or party other than the local board of education or local school system in connection with any cause, proceeding, application, or other matter pending before the local school system in which he or she serves or in any proceeding involving the local school system in which he or she serves.

   (6) No local board of education member shall be prohibited from making an inquiry for information on behalf of a constituent if no fee, reward, or other thing of value is promised to, given to, or accepted by the local board of education member or his or her immediate family member in return therefor.

   (7) No local board of education member shall disclose or discuss any information which is subject to attorney-client privilege belonging to the local board of education to any person other than other board members, the board attorney, the local school superintendent, or persons designated by the local school superintendent for such purposes unless such privilege has been waived by a majority vote of the whole board.

   (8) No member of a local board of education may also be an officer of any organization that sells goods or services to that local school system, except as provided in Code Section 20-2-505 and excluding nonprofit membership organizations.

   (9) No local board of education member shall be deemed in conflict with this subsection if, by reason of his or her participation in any matter required to be voted upon, no material or monetary gain accrues to him or her as a member of any profession, occupation, or group to any greater extent than any gain could reasonably be expected to accrue to any other member of that profession, occupation, or group.

(b) Upon a motion supported by a two-thirds' vote, a local board of education may choose to conduct a hearing concerning the violation by a local board of education member of any conflict of interest provision in subsection (a) of this Code section. The local board of education member accused of violating said provision shall have 30 days' notice prior to a hearing on the matter. Said accused member may bring witnesses on his or her behalf, and the local board of education may call witnesses to inquire into the matter. If it is found by a vote of two-thirds of all the members of the board that the accused member has violated a conflict of interest provision contained in subsection (a) of this Code section, the local board shall determine an appropriate sanction. A board member subject to sanction pursuant to this Code section may, within 30 days of such sanction vote, appeal such decision to the State Board of Education, which shall be empowered to affirm or reverse the decision to sanction such board member. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules governing such appeal process. This subsection shall apply only to local board of education members elected or appointed on or after July 1, 2010.

(c) As used in this Code section, the term "immediate family member" means a spouse, child, sibling, or parent or the spouse of a child, sibling, or parent.

Code 1981, § 20-2-63, enacted by Ga. L. 2010, p. 452, § 7/SB 84.