School Board
How to Address a Member of a School Board
Are members of school boards addressed as ‘the Honorable’? I know mayors, judges, sheriffs, etc., are.
Does this apply to local elected school board members as well? Consistency of all the elected officials would suggest the answer is “yes,” but I’ve never observed a school board member so addressed.
————–– Jim How to Address a Member of a School Board
Dear Jim:
The broad tradition is those elected in a general election are entitled to be addressed as the Honorable (Full Name).
Such address is consistent at the Federal level. At the state level it’s more or less consistent. But at the municipal/city level it’s a patchwork of local traditions.
For example – I grew up in Arlington, Virginia. There by local tradition no local elected officials are addressed as the Honorable. I now live in New York City. Here members of school board are addressed as the Honorable (Full Name).
Take away: one needs to be alert for local tradition. Call their office and find out.
– Robert Hickey How to Address a Member of a School Board
Robert Hickey author of “Honor & Respect”
When Should You Use the Forms on this Page?
You can use these forms of address for any mode of communication: addressing a letter, invitation, card or Email. (If there are differences between the official and social forms of address, I will have mentioned the different forms.) The form noted in the salutation is the same form you say when you say their name in conversation or when you greet them.
___What I don’t cover on this site are many things I do cover in my book: all the rules of forms of address, about names, international titles, precedence, complimentary closes, details on invitations, place cards, all sorts of introductions, etc. I hope you’ll get a copy of the book if you’d like the further detail.
Not Finding Your Answer?
—-#1) At right on desktops, at the bottom of every page on tablets and phones, is a list of all the offices, officials & topics covered on the site.
—-#2) If you don’t see the official you seek included or your question answered send me an e-mail. I am pretty fast at sending a reply: usually the next day or so (unless I am traveling.) Note: I don’t have mailing or Email addresses for any of the officials and I don’t keep track of offices that exist only in history books.
—-#3) If I think your question is of interest to others, Sometimes I post the question – but always change all the specifics.
— Robert Hickey
Robert Hickey author of “Honor & Respect”
Recommended Resources: The Protocol School of Washington (PSOW) and Protocol and Diplomacy International – Protocol Officers Association (PDI-POA) For more information see the Protocol Resources page.