New Jersey Department of Education

Instructions For Filing Disclosure Statements - 2020

Requirements concerning the filing of this form are found in N.J.S.A. 18A:12-21 et seq.

School Officials, who are required to complete annual Disclosure Statements as defined in the definitions, must complete online all of the PERSONAL, RELATIVE and FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS. Please read all instructions and definitions completely before providing the requested information in the online Disclosure Statements.

  • Timeline for filing: The School Ethics Act states that School Officials must annually file the Personal/Relative Disclosure Statement and the Financial Disclosure Statement by April 30. However, all newly-elected and newly appointed/hired School Officials, new to their position, must file within 30 days of assuming office or position. Failure to file a statement by the deadline may subject the School Official to disciplinary action up to and including removal pursuant to N.J. S. A. 18A:12-25.
  • Complete all sections: No section of the Disclosure Statements may remain blank.
    • The Personal/Relative Disclosure Statement includes information on the school official and relatives.
      • "Relative" means the spouse, natural or adopted child, parent or sibling of a school official.
    • The Financial Disclosure Statement, Section 3, Item 1, requires the official to report all income sources in the preceding calendar year in excess of $2,000 for any member of the immediate family. If the information has changed from the preceding calendar year, it is recommended that the official also provide financial information which is current as of five days prior to the date of this filing.
      • "Income" for purposes of these rules shall be as defined by the Internal Revenue Service, except as otherwise provided in N.J.S.A. 18A:12-26(a)(1) and also include loans that are not from lending institutions or family members.
      • "Member of immediate family" means the spouse or dependent child of a school official residing in the same household.
      • "Spouse" means the person to whom the school official is legally married under New Jersey law and also includes a partner in a civil union couple as established in N.J.S.A. 37:1-33.Complete all sections: No section of the Disclosure Statements may remain blank.
  • For further review of the definitions and sources of income, please read the Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about Filing Disclosure Statements.
  • Certification: Your online certification shall constitute your representation of the accuracy of the statements and of your understanding that the online disclosure statements contain no willful misstatement or omission of material fact and constitute a full disclosure with respect to all matters required by N.J.S.A. 18A:12-21 et seq. Once completed, the online forms will be reviewed by the Board Secretary or the Charter School Designee who will transmit the forms to the Office of the Executive County Superintendent for review. Once accepted by the Executive the forms will remain online available for reference by the Board Secretary or Charter School Designee, the Executive County Office and the School Ethics Commission for public review and periodic audits.

 


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