VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County leaders are sounding the alarm about a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) that some school district employees are reportedly being asked to sign.
News 6 obtained a copy of the agreement, which prohibits certain employees from revealing information about the district’s budget and how money is spent.
School board members and the Volusia teachers union are speaking out about the NDA, but many questions remain about exactly who is being asked to sign it. The district has not responded to requests for clarification.
“We don’t know the reason why all of a sudden our public school system is requiring this silencing of upper-level management,” said Elizabeth Albert, president of Volusia United Educators.
Albert said the union first learned about the NDA about a month ago and shared the copy they received with News 6.
“We’re very concerned, especially because we’re heading into the season of negotiations, which of course impacts salaries and benefits,” Albert said.
Despite repeated requests, Albert said the union has not been given a list of employees required to sign the agreement.
“We’re a public entity. We are funded with taxpayer money. So anything less than full financial transparency is suspicious,” she added.
The NDA lists nine categories of information deemed “confidential.” These include student and employee records and security protocols.
But the clause raising the most concern states: “Information regarding the District’s financial operations, including budgets, funding sources, and allocation of resources.”
School board member Donna Bosemer told News 6 she only recently learned about the NDA and plans to discuss it at the next board meeting.
“Legally, public agencies do not have the authority to add to the definitions of what is a confidential document, so by doing that about the budget, but also about a couple of other categories, we have grossly overstepped our bounds,” said board member Donna Bosemer.
The board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 12.
On Tuesday, Volusia County Schools sent the following statement regarding the NDAs:
"Certain Volusia County School District Employees who work in departments or roles with access to sensitive or confidential information have been asked to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. This is to ensure that sensitive information, regarding students and staff, safety plans, legal proceedings, discussions, and proprietary software is not compromised. Moreover, all the District’s budgetary and financial information are available on the VCS’s website and through the Florida Department of Education. Individuals may make public records request for this information, also. Confidential information does not include information that is required to be disclosed by law, regulation, or court order, as expressly written in the Non-Disclosure Agreement. Volusia County Schools will always comply with the law."
Volusia County Schools