Nepotism

• A school board member’s brother has applied for a job with their district. Can the district hire the board member’s brother?  
• A district vendor wants to thank the district for its business by taking board members to dinner at the nicest restaurant in town. Can the board members accept this offer? 
• A board member’s child has an individualized education program (IEP) with the district. Can the board member attend IEP team meetings for their child?

This month, the legal division is using the Sidebar discussion to tackle the “Question of the Month.” The question is: “Can a school district official or employee hire their family members?” Jennifer Hardin and John Price discuss Ohio’s law prohibiting nepotism, including who is covered by the law, what the law actually prohibits, and who is an official's family member.