House votes for school board ethics measure

The Georgia House gave final approval Wednesday to legislation resulting from the accreditation crisis in the Clayton County school system.

The bill, as proposed by Gov. Sonny Perdue, would standardize school board ethics policies and training, clarify the roles of superintendents and school board members, and create minimum qualifications for school board candidates.

It also would give the state the ability to replace school board members who fail to serve the interests of their students.

Perdue’s office said it was based on recommendations of the Commission for School Board Excellence, a group of leaders from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, AdvancED and others.

In signing off on the bill, the House agreed to a Senate amendment that allows smaller school systems to obtain a waiver exempting them from rules prohibiting nepotism.

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Nancy Badertscher

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