| Dearborn Public Schools |
| Bylaws & Policies |
3310 - FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN NONINSTRUCTIONAL SETTINGS
The Board of Education acknowledges the right of its professional staff members, as citizens in a democratic society, to speak out in the noninstructional setting on issues of public concern. When those issues are related to the District, however, the professional staff member's expression must be weighed against the interests of this District.
The following guidelines are adopted by the Board to help clarify and, therefore, avoid situations in which the professional staff member's expression could conflict with the District's interests. In such situations, s/he should:
| A. | state clearly that his/her expression represents personal views and not necessarily those of the District; | |
| B. | refrain from expressions that would disrupt harmony among co-workers or interfere with the maintenance of discipline by school officials; | |
| C. | not make threats or abusive or personally-defamatory comments about co-workers, administrators, or officials of the District; | |
| D. | refrain from making public expressions which s/he knows to be false or are made without regard for truth or accuracy; | |
| E. | attempt to resolve problems within the system before making a public issue of those concerns. |