GCS April 2026.pdf (65 KB)

​Boulder Valley School District​ ​File:​​GCS​ ​Adopted: April __, 2026​ ​CONSULTING, RESEARCH, AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY​ ​The Board considers teaching and/or administrative duties in the School District​ ​full‐time employment. However, the Board recognizes that college teaching,​ ​educational research, and consulting with other agencies may be a rewarding​ ​experience in professional growth.​ ​Any type of outside work by staff members shall be approved so long as it does not​ ​directly prevent staff members from properly performing their assigned functions​ ​during duty hours or be prejudicial to their effectiveness in their professional position.​ ​Employees shall conduct any nonschool employment/consulting activities on personal​ ​time or approved leave.​ ​Consulting​ ​Employees may not accept outside financial compensation for services rendered on​ ​behalf of the School District. Any honorarium or compensation from an outside​ ​organization given to the employee representing the School District must be returned to​ ​the School District.​ ​School district employees​​Administrative team members​​may​​be authorized to make​ ​engage in​​consulting or speaking​​engagements​​of a professional nature outside the​ ​School District provided that such commitments do not adversely affect the performance​ ​of their School District assignments. Team members may accept honoraria or​ ​compensation in connection with these authorized activities​​provided the employee​ ​uses personal time and is performing the services as a private individual.​​.​¶​ ​If an employee has a question about whether it is proper to accept a gift, honorarium, or​ ​other compensation or financial benefit, then the employee should contact the Human​ ​Resources Department for guidance on the matter​ ​Research​ ​While recognizing the value of educational research, the Board also has a responsibility​ ​to protect the learning environment​​and students, parents, and staff from harassment,​ i​nvasion of privacy, and physical, psychological, social, educational, or other injury​.​​All​ ​research proposals shall be carefully screened​​in accordance with Board Policy LC.​​by​ ​the Director of Evaluation and Guidance or a designee and appropriate directors,​ ​Any survey, assessment, analysis or evaluation of students shall be consistent with​ ​School District policy and applicable law.​​Student anonymity must be assured in any​ ​research project. Results pertaining to individual students may never be publicized, and​

​may only be shared with teachers if approved by the Director of Evaluation and​ ​Guidance as part of the research plan and otherwise permitted by law.​​¶​ ​¶​ ​All research studies carried out within the School District, use of school data of any kind,​ ​or staff or students as subjects must be approved in advance by the Superintendent or​ ​designee. Only those studies that have value to the School District, and are compatible​ ​with our instructional program(s),​​legal obligations, and standards of good scholarship​ ​shall be approved.​¶​ ​Parents of students who are subjects of research or adults if they are the subjects shall​ ​be provided an explanation of procedures and their purposes, a description of any​ ​possible risks and any benefits to be reasonably expected, an offer to respond to​ i​nquiries on procedures, and instruction on the right to refuse to participate or to​ ​discontinue participation at any time without prejudice.​​If any costs are incurred​ ​regarding notice, the researcher(s) will be responsible.​¶​ ​Research p​P​rojects conducted by a​​School​​District staff member that involve no cost to​ ​the​​School​​District, are limited to the staff member's assigned school, and involve only​ ​minor changes in the regular instructional program, require the permission of the​ ​building principal and the Research Review Committee​​addressed in Policy LC.​that will​ ​be directed by the Director of Evaluation and Guidance.​ ​Any survey, assessment, analysis or evaluation of students shall be consistent with​ ​School District policy and applicable law.​​Student anonymity must be assured in any​ ​research project. Results pertaining to individual students may never be publicized, and​ ​may only be shared with teachers if approved by the Director of Evaluation and​ ​Guidance as part of the research plan and otherwise permitted by law.​ ​Each semester, the Director of Evaluation and Guidance will submit to the​ ​Superintendent a summary of all research projects conducted within the School District.​ ​Intellectual Property​ ​It is the policy of the Boulder Valley School District to copyright selected educational​ ​materials and intellectual property when appropriate and also to clarify employees’​ ​abilities to engage in private activities.​ ​Patentable Inventions: Under the circumstances where an Employee or Mentor, either​ i​ndividually or as part of a group, conceives, creates, or develops an Invention during​ ​school hours, as part of a school assignment or activity, or utilizes school district​ ​resources such as computers, software, facilities, or materials, all ownership of​ ​Inventions conceived, created, or developed shall be vested in the School District,​ ​unless otherwise agreed upon in writing.​ ​Copyrightable Materials: Under the circumstances where an Employee or Mentor,​ ​either individually or as part of a group, conceives, creates, or develops Copyrightable​

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​Materials during school district hours, as part of a school district assignment or activity,​ ​or utilizes school district resources such as computers, software, facilities, or​ ​materials, all ownership of Copyrightable Materials conceived, created, or developed​ ​shall be vested in the School District, unless otherwise agreed upon in writing.​ ​Any party may waive any rights to a Patentable Invention or Copyrightable Material.​ ​Any such waiver shall be in writing and signed by the superintendent or designee, or​ ​the Employee, Mentor, or Student.​ ​Mentors working on activities in the School District that may result in a Patentable​ ​Invention or Copyrightable Material shall sign an Acknowledgement and Release​ ​regarding this Policy prior to participating in activities with students or employees.​ ​LEGAL REFS:​ ​20 U.S.C. § 1232h (rights of students and parents to inspect and give prior consent for​ ​certain surveys, analysis and evaluation)​ ​C.R.S. § 22-1-123 (rights of students regarding surveys, assessment, analysis and​ ​evaluation)​ ​CROSS REFS.:​ ​KDB, Public Access to Information​ ​LC, Educational Research​

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