Bill > A621

This bill requires school districts and charter schools to adopt and implement nepotism policies as a condition of receiving State aid, defining "relative" broadly to include spouses, civil union partners, domestic partners, and various blood or in-law relations. The policies must prohibit relatives of key school officials, such as school board members, chief school administrators, and school business administrators, from being employed in the district, with exceptions for existing employees or if the district demonstrates that the relative is the only qualified candidate after a thorough search and obtains approval from the executive county superintendent. The bill also mandates provisions preventing relatives from supervising each other, and restricts individuals with relatives in the same union from participating in collective bargaining negotiations, though they can serve as technical resources. School districts may exclude per diem substitutes and student employees from their policies, and charter schools must adopt similar policies for their trustees and administrators.