A Follow-Up From Friday's Vendetta Post

A few of Bongo's readers have been barking about Bongo's Friday post about Larry Snow not following policy, but not breaking the law. Puppy pals wanted to know exactly what policy Snow has not followed.

Check out the District 158 Code of Conduct for School Board members. It is a part of the official policy manual for District 158. It comes from the Illinois State Board of Education, and when elected, all board members must promise to obey it:

Board Member Code of Conduct

Each member of District 158 Board of Education ascribes to the following code of conduct:

1. I shall represent all school district constituents honestly and equally and refuse to surrender my responsibilities to special interest or partisan political groups.

2. I shall avoid any conflict of interest or the appearance of impropriety which could result from my position, and shall not use my Board of Education membership for personal gain or publicity.

3. I shall recognize that a Board of Education member has no legal authority as an individual and that decisions can be made only by a majority vote at a Board of Education meeting.

4. I shall take no private action that might compromise the Board or administration and shall respect the confidentiality of privileged information.

5. I shall abide by majority decisions of the Board of Education, while retaining the right to see changes in such decisions through ethical and constructive channels.

6. I shall encourage and respect the free expression of opinion by my fellow Board of Education members and others who seek a hearing before the Board of Education.

7. I shall be involved and knowledgeable about not only local educational concerns, but also about State and national issues. In addition, I shall encourage my Board of Education to pursue the following goals:

1. The development of educational programs which meet the individual needs of every student, regardless of ability, race, sex, creed, social standing, or disability;

2. The development of procedures for the regular and systematic evaluation of programs, staff performance and Board of Education operations to ensure progress toward educational andfiscal goals;

3. The development of effective Board of Education policies which provide direction for the operation of the schools and delegate authority to the Superintendent for their administration;

4. The development of systematic communications which ensure that the Board of Education, administration, staff, students and community are fully informed and that the staff understands the community’s aspirations for its schools; and

5. The development of sound business practices which ensure that every dollar spent produces maximum benefits.

Now think back to all of the instances when Larry Snow has advocated for his friends Linda and David Moore with regard to Moore Turf Care, and think of all the times he has used his position as a board member to hurt his colleagues and other community members. Is it possible that Snow has violated every single rule in this code?

Again, Bongo must point to his doggy dictionary, which defines hypocrite as follows:

1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.

2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.

Bongo's question for Larry Snow (and Aileen too) is this: How come you expect everyone else to adhere to district policy, but you're not willing to do it yourself?