Superintendent Nyah Hamlett of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, not immune from controversy after allegedly plagiarizing her doctoral dissertation, has now opened herself up to charges of conflicts of interest after strong patterns in her hiring practices have been revealed.
This October the Superintendent approved the hiring of her husband, Breon Hamlett, to work at Carrboro High School as their head basketball coach. While not necessarily a coveted position within the district, the position does come with a taxpayer funded salary and raises the question of whether fair hiring practices were used.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board Policy 7100, section C, subsection 3, part C clearly outlines that “When making recommendations for the selection and assignment of personnel, the superintendent shall attempt to avoid situations in which one employee occupies a position in which he or she has influence over the employment status, including hiring, salary, and promotion, of another employee who is a member of the first employee’s immediate family.” The General Assembly of North Carolina also requires all employees of a school district’s administrative unit to undergo at least two hours of conflict of interest training a year.