408.1 Guideline: Gifts to Employees

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of these administrative guidelines is to assist in the implementation of Board Policy 408: Gifts to Employees.

 
II. GUIDELINES REGARDING GIFTS

A. Board Policy 408 specifies that acceptance of a gift is permitted if it is of nominal value. For purposes of this policy, a gift received from an individual or family with an approximate value of $35.00 or less is considered nominal value. A gift received from a group (e.g. from a sports team to a coach) with an approximate value of $100.00 or less is considered nominal value. 

B. Employees shall confer with the building administrator for guidance related to the interpretation and application of this policy. 

C. Questions that cannot be addressed by the building administrator shall be referred to the superintendent. 

III. ALTERNATIVES TO PERSONAL GIFTS

As indicated in Section II.A. of Policy 408, persons wishing to show appreciation are encouraged to do so in alternative ways.   Other ways of showing appreciation include, but are not limited to, the following:

A. Verbal expression of appreciation to the individual directly and/or to the individual's supervisor.

B. Letter or note of appreciation to the individual, the individual's supervisor, and/or to the Board of Education.

C. Small tokens of gratitude as memorabilia.

D. Donation to Richfield Public Schools and/or to the Spartan Foundation in an employee's name.  

If the individual being recognized is associated with a specific school program or activity, the donation could be designated to support that program or activity.

IV. COMMUNICATIONS

Building and district level administrators are expected to inform staff and parents about Policy 408 and Administrative Guidelines 408.1 through a variety of media such as the District website and building publications.

Dated: November 15, 1999
Revised: December 20, 2004; June 11, 2012; June 10, 2019; October 21, 2024