Houston ISD Board of Education approves ethics policy revisions

The Houston ISD Board of Education unanimously approved a stricter set of ethics policies, which are designed to help prevent the appearance of conflicts of interest.

The firm of Whitley Penn LLP conducted an independent review of existing HISD policies and best practices related to the process of purchasing and bid evaluation, at the board's request. After the firm made recommendations, the ethics policy revisions were drafted.

The revised policies were made with the intent to strengthen existing guidelines by avoiding the appearance of conflicts and requiring elected board members to further disclose potential conflicts of interest.

Also better defined within the policies are the board's responsibilities and allowable contacts with vendors or organizations where the district is considering entering into a business or contractual relationship, as well as the potential repercussions when violations occur.

Vendors will also be required to provide conflict-of-interest disclosure statements to the district. If trustees fail to disclose conflicts of interest, the vendors may be disbarred from doing business with the district for two years.