Policy 3312 - Contracts

Contracts

The Governing Board recognizes its responsibility to enter into contracts on behalf of the district for the acquisition of equipment, supplies, services, and other resources necessary for the achievement of district goals. In exercising this authority to enter into a contract, the Board shall ensure that the district's interest is protected and that the terms of the contract conform to applicable legal standards, including the bidding requirements in Public Contract Code 20111.

The Board may, by a majority vote, delegate this power to the Superintendent or designee the authority to enter into contracts on behalf of the district. To be valid or to constitute an enforceable obligation against the district, all such contracts must be approved and/or ratified by the Board.

Every contract entered into on behalf of the district shall be made available for public inspection, except when the law prohibits disclosure. No contract shall prohibit a district employee from disparaging the goods or services of any contracting party.

Contracts for Non-Nutritious Foods or Beverages

The district shall not enter into or renew a contract for the sale of foods or beverages that do not meet applicable nutritional standards specified in Education Code 49431- 49431.7, 5 CCR 15500-15501 or 15575-15578, or 7 CFR 210.11 or 220.12, unless the contract specifies that such sale will occur off campus or outside the time restriction specified in the applicable law.

Before the district or a district school enters into or renews a contract that grants exclusive or nonexclusive advertising or sale of carbonated beverages, non-nutritious beverages or non-nutritious food as defined in law, the Board shall ensure that the district has sufficient internal controls in place to protect the integrity of public funds and to ensure that funds raised as a result of this contract benefit public education.

The superintendent or designee shall develop the district’s internal control procedures to protect the integrity of public funds. Such internal controls may include but not be limited to the following:

1. Procedures that produce accurate and reliable financial statements and, at the same time, safeguard the assets, financial resources and integrity of every employee responsible for handling money or property. Control systems shall be systematically evaluated and revised to keep pace with the changing responsibilities of management.
2. Procedures to ensure that district personnel do not handle cash or product at the school site. The contract shall specify that the vendor stock the machines and shall provide cash accounting, along with a check, for district proceeds directly to the control office.

Any contract for the sale or advertisement of non-nutritious foods or carbonated or non-nutritious beverages shall be entered into on a competitive bid basis pursuant to Public Contract Code 20111 or through the issuance of a Request for Proposal.

The Board shall not enter into or renew a contract that grants exclusive or nonexclusive advertising or sale of carbonated beverages, non-nutritious beverages or non-nutritious food until parents/guardians, students and members of the public have had an opportunity to comment on the contract at a public hearing held during a regularly scheduled board meeting. The Board shall clearly, and in a manner recognizable to the general public, identify in the agenda the contract to be discussed at the meeting.

The public hearing shall include but not be limited to a discussion of the nutritional value of food and beverages sold within the district; the availability of fresh fruit, vegetables and grains in school meals and snacks, including locally grown and organic produce; the amount of fat, sugar and additives in the food and beverages discussed; and barriers to student participation in school breakfast and lunch programs.

The contract shall be accessible to the public and may not include a confidentiality clause that would prevent the district or a district school from making any part of the contract public.

Contracts for Electronic Products or Services

The Board shall not enter into a contract for electronic products or services that requires the dissemination of advertising to students, unless the Board:

1. Enters into the contract at a noticed, public hearing of the Board;
2. Makes a finding that the electronic product or service is or would be an internal component of the education of students;
3. Makes a finding that the district cannot afford to provide the electronic product or service unless it contracts to permit dissemination of advertising to students;
4. As part of the district’s normal, ongoing communication to parents/guardians, provides written notice that the advertising will be used in the classroom or other learning center;
5. Offers parents/guardians the opportunity to request in writing that their child not be exposed to the program that contains the advertising. Any request shall be honored for the school year in which it was submitted, or longer if specified, but may be withdrawn by the parents/guardians at any time.

Contracts for Digital Storage and Maintenance of Student Records

The district may enter into or renew a contract with a third party for the purpose of providing services, including cloud-based services, for the digital storage, management, and retrieval of student records and/or to provide digital educational software that authorizes a third-party provider of digital educational software to access, store, and use student records. For these purposes, student records include any information maintained by the district that is directly related to a student and any information acquired directly from the student through the use of instructional software or applications assigned to the student by a teacher or other district employee, and do not include de-identified information.

Any such contract shall contain all of the following:

1. A statement that student records continue to be the property of and under the control of the district;
2. If applicable, a description of the means by which students may retain possession and control of their own student-generated content, as defined in Education Code 49073.1, including options by which a student may transfer student-generated content to a personal account;
3. A prohibition against the third party using any information in the student record for any purpose other than those required or specifically permitted by the contract;
4. A description of the procedures by which a parent/guardian or a student age 18 years or older may review personally identifiable information in the student's records and correct erroneous information;
5. A description of the actions the third party will take, including the designation and training of responsible individuals, to ensure the security and confidentiality of student records;
6. A description of the procedures for notifying the affected parent/guardian, or the affected student if age 18 years or older, in the event of an unauthorized disclosure of the student's records;
7. A certification that a student's records shall not be retained or available to the third party upon completion of the terms of the contract and a description of how that certification will be enforced, except that these requirements shall not apply to student-generated content if the student chooses to establish or maintain an account with the third party for the purpose of storing that content;
8. A description of how the district and the third party will jointly ensure compliance with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 USC 1232g; and
9. A prohibition against the third party using personally identifiable information in student records to engage in targeted advertising.

Contracts for Personal Services

In order to achieve cost savings, the district may enter into or renew a contract for any personal service that is currently or customarily performed by classified employees, if the contract does not displace school district employees and meets other conditions specified in Education Code 45103.1. To enter into or renew such a contract, the Board shall ensure that the district meets the numerous conditions specified in Education Code 45103.1.

In addition, the district may enter into or renew any contract for personal service without meeting the conditions described above, if any of the following conditions exists:

1. The contract is for new district functions and the Legislature has specifically mandated or authorized the performance of the work by independent contractors.
2. The services contracted are not available within the district, cannot be performed satisfactorily by district employees, or are of such a highly specialized or technical nature that the necessary expert knowledge, experience, and ability are not available through the district.
3. The services are incidental to a contract for the purchase or lease of real or personal property, including, but not be limited to, agreements to service or maintain office equipment or computers that are leased or rented.
4. The district's policy, administrative, or legal goals and purposes cannot be accomplished through the utilization of persons selected pursuant to the regular or ordinary district hiring process.
5. The nature of the work is such that the criteria for emergency appointments, as defined in Education Code 45103.1, apply.
6. The contractor will provide equipment, materials, facilities, or support services that could not feasibly be provided by the district in the location where the services are to be performed.
7. The services are of such an urgent, temporary, or occasional nature that the delay that would result from using the district's regular or ordinary hiring process would frustrate their very purpose.

Rule 3312

Revised 06/20/1997 (renumbered from 3323)

All contracts between the district and outside agencies shall be prepared under the supervision of the Assistant Superintendent, Business Services, except contracts relating to the acquisition, disposal, or construction of land or facilities may be prepared under the supervision of the administrative director, facilities and planning.

Contracts relating to the purchase of supplies, materials, apparatus, or equipment shall be treated under policy 3310.

All contracts shall be ratified by the Board of Education within 45 days of their execution.