Iowa City school district’s message about gifts to teachers still unclear

IOWA CITY - Iowa City Community School District officials are sending mixed signals about whether teachers are allowed to accept gifts from students.

Superintendent Steve Murley said in an email Friday that Chace Ramey, the district's human resources officer, talked with the district's attorney to learn whether it is legal for teachers to accept student gifts.

'It is my understanding from him that the counsel stated that it is not a violation of state law,” Murley said.

Ramey was out of town and did not immediately return phone calls Friday.

These comments happen two days after Craig Hansel, the district's chief financial officer, told The Gazette teacher gifts violated Iowa's gift law, which prohibits public employees from accepting a gift of $3 or more in a calendar day from a restricted donor.

'It's a nice thing to give a teacher a gift card, but it's illegal to do that,” he said Wednesday.

Hansel backed off that position a little Friday, saying while it may be technically legal for teachers to accept gifts, he doesn't think it's a good idea.

A 2007 advisory opinion from the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board says most K-12 students aren't considered restricted donors because they don't stand to gain financially by gift giving. But the opinion acknowledges students could be funneling a gift from a restricted donor.

'Our position as public employees is you simply don't know,” Hansel said in an email Friday. 'The ethics opinion was also very careful to say that it does not supersede a district's practice, policy, or position about gift communication to employees.”

The Iowa City school district includes a 'gift law reminder” in a handbook for affiliate organizations, such as parent-teacher groups, stating 'public employees may not receive nonmonetary items with a value exceeding three dollars or more from any one donor during a calendar day.”

Some Iowa school districts prohibit teachers from accepting individual gifts from students, saying the gift may create the perception of bias in the classroom.

Des Moines Public Schools, the state's largest district with 32,000 students, prohibits staff members from accepting gifts, except those of 'negligible monetary value”, from students.

'Gifts given by students or their parents to staff members may diminish the ability of district employees to treat students equitably,” the policy states.

Approved gifts, grants, and bequests become property of the school district.

Nicholas Lenhardt, business, and finance controller for the district, admitted he felt like the Grinch sending an email reminder Wednesday to district staff about the gift policy.

'Please note gifts are ok they just need to go to the school or program and not to the individual teacher,” Lenhardt wrote. 'If a teacher receives a gift card or certificate they should turn into the school office to use on an overall program item/activity.”

The Cedar Rapids Community School District and College Community school district allows teachers to accept gifts.