The New Haven Board of Education has taken a step towards adopting a whistleblower policy designed to prohibit retaliation against employees who speak out in good faith about suspected misconduct within the school district.

Policy Details

The proposed policy states that employees, contractors, and subrecipients have the right to report any suspected misconduct, waste, fraud, abuse, or violations of laws, regulations, or grant requirements. Reports may be made to program leadership, the governing body, appropriate federal agencies, or other authorized entities.

The policy defines retaliation as including termination, demotion, suspension, harassment, discrimination, or any other adverse employment action. The policy also cites federal whistleblower protection laws, including 10 U.S.C. § 2409, as strictly prohibiting retaliation against any individual who discloses information that they reasonably believe is evidence of gross mismanagement, gross waste of federal funds, abuse of authority, or a violation of law related to a federal contract or grant.

Background

According to NHPS spokesperson Justin Harmon, the idea for the policy arose from discussions within the school district’s early-childhood-education program, Head Start. However, members of the Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Madeline Negron agreed that the policy should be districtwide.

Board members Abie Benitez and Daniel Juarez reviewed the district’s draft whistleblower policy alongside NHPS Assistant Superintendent Kristina DeNegre. The proposal now heads to the full board for further review and a potential final vote.

Original reporting: New Haven Independent — read the source article.