Public Statements About Social and Political Issues
The BACB’s primary purpose is to administer its certification programs, which predominantly includes establishing eligibility, maintenance, and ethics requirements; developing and administering examinations; and collaborating with licensing authorities. Although the BACB plays an important role in the applied behavior analysis profession, its role is considerably smaller than many realize.* Indeed, the range of activities in which the BACB can engage is quite limited because of how the BACB was incorporated, requirements of its certification-program accreditor, and how the BACB achieved tax-exempt status under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. These restrictions limit the BACB’s ability to make political and social pronouncements. Thus, it is the policy of the BACB to work within its range of permitted activities and refrain from engaging in commentary on social issues, leaving this activity to more appropriate organizations (professional membership organizations and societies) that generally have fewer restrictions and the ability to more meaningfully address social issues.
Official Spokespersons of the BACB
Beyond information published on the BACB’s website, the President of the BACB Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer of the BACB may, in their roles as the only official spokespersons of the organization, identify additional BACB Board positions, so long as doing so is consistent with the BACB’s mission, authorized tax-exempt purposes, and Board action. With the exception of the President and the Chief Executive Officer, BACB employees and Board members may not disclose nonpublic information related to BACB activity.
*To learn more about the BACB’s role in the applied behavior analysis profession, please see the BACB’s blog post, The BACB: What it is, What it Does, and Why, and listen to The BACB’s Role in the Profession of Behavior Analysis on our Inside the BACB podcast.