| Request for an advisory opinion from the Tangipahoa Parish School Board relative to the continued employment of a teacher who married the daughter of the school principal. |
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Karl Shulz has been employed at Hammond High Magnet School in Tangipahoa Parish teaching the high school robotics team through LSU and FIRST Robotics Competition, an International Robtoics Competition, since 2016. Mr. Shulz is paid through LSU for his work provided to the high school. Mr. Shulz is a mechanical engineer and a certified teacher and also helped design the new Louisiana STEM pathway that recognizes students on their diploma.
In 2017, Shelly Gaydos became the principal of Hammond High Magnet School.
In February 2021, Karl Shulz married April Gaydos, the daughter of Shelly Gaydos, thus making Karl Shulz an immediate family member of an agency head.
Karl Shulz has applied for a full time teaching position to include three classes along with the Robotics Program that he continues to teach.
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Docket No. 2017-660 opined that the Ethics Code would not prohibit the continued employment of the spouse of the Communications Supervisor of the Communications Division with the Zachary Police Department after their marriage, since the spouse has been employed for a year or longer within the Communications Division prior to their marriage.
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La. R.S. 42:1119A prohibits a member of the immediate family of an agency head from being employed in his agency.
La. R.S. 42:1119C(2) provides that this Section shall not prohibit the continued employment of any public employee nor shall it be construed to hinder, alter, or in any way affect normal promotional advancements for such public employee where a member of public employees' immediate family becomes the agency head of such public employee's agency, provided such public employee has been employed in the agency for a period of at least one year prior to the member of the public employee's immediate family becoming the agency head.
La. R.S. 42:1112B(1) prohibits a public servant from participating in a transaction involving the governmental entity in which, to his actual knowledge, any member of his immediate family has a substantial economic interest.
La. R.S. 42:1102(18)(a)(iii), (iv) defines "public employee" to mean anyone, whether compensated or not, who is: engaged in the performance of a governmental function and/or under the supervision or authority of an elected official or another employee of the governmental entity.
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Adopt the proposed advisory opinion draft.
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| Assigned Attorney: |
Greg Thibodeaux |
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