TMAA Conflict of Interest Policy (July 21, 2021) - For more specifics, see the Conflict of Interest FAQs below.
All TMAA members must prevent any real or perceived conflict of interest between adjudication of a UIL evaluation/contest and any organization participating in that event. Refer to the UIL C & CR Section 1112: Adjudication for further clarification.
Conflict of Interest - Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should I check potential conflicts of interest prior to accepting a UIL Judging Contract?
A: Yes, in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest, judges should take the opportunity to go to the UIL State Website and check the UIL/TMEA region alignments to be aware of which schools will be participating in the event being asked to judge.
Q: If I have been the clinician of an All-Region Ensemble in the region requesting a judging assignment, is that considered a conflict of interest?
A: No, All-Region Ensembles are not considered conflicts of interest as you are contracted by the TMEA/ ATSSB region for a collaborative event, not an individual school.
Q: I served as a concert ensemble clinician for a participating school that is in the region requesting the judging assignment. Would this be a conflict of interest?
A: Yes, you should not accept a judging assignment if you have worked directly with the students of one in any of the participating bands music ensembles in the same school year as a contracted event. A judge may not evaluate an organization event in music if that judge has served as a
clinician-conductor for any school organization in that region or area and conference during the current school year.
Q. I served as a clinician for a participating ensemble in the previous school year but am no longer serving as a clinician. Is this considered a conflict of interest?
A: No, if you are not serving as a clinician, or receiving payment, from a participating school in the school year of the event, you can accept the judging assignment.
Q: If I have served as a marching band clinician for a school, would it be a conflict of interest to judge their concert band in a spring event? Because these are separate divisions organization events, would this be a conflict of interest?
A: Yes, you should not accept a judging assignment if you have received payment for or worked directly with the students of any of the participating bands in the same school year as a contracted event.
Q: I serve as a program consultant for a school, but do not work directly with the students. (i.e. Drill Designer, Marching Band Design, Director Consultant, etc.) Would this be considered a conflict of interest in accepting a contract for an event involving that school?
A: Yes, you should not accept a judging assignment if you have received payment from a participating school for consulting services, regardless of whether or not you have worked directly with students.
Q: I have been paid by a participating school, or school district of a participating school, to serve as an adjudicator for evaluative purposes only. Would it be considered a conflict of interest to adjudicate this ensemble at a UIL event?
A: No, if your services to a school or school district only involved evaluative judging (i.e. Pre UIL Event, Invitational Marching Contest, etc.), you can accept a contract for a UIL event provided you had no direct personal student contact as a part of the Pre-UIL/Invitational Contest.
Q: If I feel that circumstances surrounding experiences with a given school would create the perception of a conflict of interest with other directors in a region, should I accept a judging contract?
A: If you have concerns that a conflict of interest may be perceived due to your experiences with a participating school, you should not immediately accept a contract. In this instance, transparent communication with the contest director or Region Executive Secretary who requested your services would be appropriate to determine a potential conflict of interest.
TMAA Ethics Policy (February 12, 2020)
The adjudicator shall comply with standard practices and ethical conduct toward students, professional colleagues, school officials, parents, and members of the community. The adjudicator, in maintaining the dignity of the profession, shall respect and obey the law, demonstrate personal integrity, and exemplify honesty and good moral character. The adjudicator will uphold the intent of all TMAA adjudication practices and abide by all UIL, TEA and TMAA rules.
Adjudicators shall know and uphold all rules for music competition in the current issue of the Constitution and Contest Rules published by the University Interscholastic League.
Adjudicators shall be physically, emotionally and mentally fit to discharge their duties at music contests.
Adjudicators shall maintain an ethical code of conduct which will not impair or prejudice effectiveness as a judge, before, during and immediately following the competing dates.
Adjudicators will honor all contracts, assignments and duties as prescribed by the contest chairman. Prompt notification of the contest chairman regarding emergency situations is required.
Adjudicators shall avoid fraternizing with competing directors, administrators, or school officials prior to or during the contest.
Adjudicators shall not discuss other adjudicators with directors or school officials. Criticism of other adjudicators will be made in writing to the Director of Music Activities, University Interscholastic League.
Guidelines on Implementing Actions for Violations of the TMAA Ethics Policy
1. The incident will be investigated.
2. If the accusation is found to be true and it violates the TMAA Ethics Policy, the member will be asked to relinquish their membership. If the member refuses, then due process will be implemented according to the grievance policy.