Opinion ID: 621509
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: PGCS Board of Education Investigation

Text: After the release of the newspaper article, Dr. Beatrice Tignor, the chair of the Prince George's County Board of Education, called Hornsby to ask him about the LeapFrog contract and the allegations made within the article. Hornsby told Tignor that the allegations were untrue and that Owens did not have a role in the contract. Under the belief that Owens played no role in the LeapFrog contract, Tignor wrote to the Board of Education Ethics Panel asking the Panel to examine two inquiries: (1) whether a conflict of interest existed when the school system purchased LeapFrog products given that Hornsby, as CEO, maintained a relationship with Owens who did not do business with PGCS and did not handle the PGCS LeapFrog purchase and (2) whether Hornsby was required to disclose his personal relationship with Owens to PGCS when she did not work for LeapFrog at the time his financial disclosure form was submitted. Both inquiries were based on board policies that governed Hornsby as an employee of PGCS. PGCS Policy No. 109 governs Conflict[s] of Interest and prohibits employees from participating on behalf of the school system in any matter that would, to their knowledge, have a direct financial impact, as distinguished from the public generally, on them, their spouse, domestic partner, or immediate family member, or a business entity with which they are affiliated. . . . J.A. 2644. Another policy governed school official financial disclosures. The policy required an official to file an annual statement with the Ethics Panel disclosing any interest or employment that would constitute a conflict of interest and require disqualification from working on behalf of the school system, and to disclose any gifts received . . . from any person . . . having a contract with the school system, or seeking to do business with the school system. J.A. 2646. Although Hornsby received a copy of the inquiries, he did not correct Tignor's mistaken belief that Owens had nothing to do with the LeapFrog contract. He later represented in his financial disclosure statement that he had not received any income from a person or business that was a party to an existing contract with the school system. A month later, the panel answered both inquiries. In its opinion, there was no conflict of interest arising from the LeapFrog contract, and further, Hornsby was not legally required to disclose his personal relationship at the time of his financial disclosure statement, although he may have been required to do so under another ethical policy. On January 12, 2005, the board hired the Huron Consulting Company to investigate any ethical violations with respect to the LeapFrog contract. As part of its investigation, Huron interviewed Hornsby with his lawyer present. Hornsby stated that he had known Owens for three years, that their current relationship was a friendship, and that she had lived with him when she was hired by LeapFrog. He denied knowing that Owens had any role in PGCS's LeapFrog contract. Hornsby stated that he had not disclosed to PGCS his relationship with Owens at the time of the LeapFrog purchase because he believed it was not required by board policy.