Rankin County schools Superintendent Lynn Weathersby said he intended to be informative when he praised school board incumbents in an e-mail to district parents about the Nov. 4 election.
But the message, sent Oct. 6 from a school district e-mail account and, possibly, from a district computer, is illegal, the state auditor’s office said.
With no loss of taxpayers’ funds, there may be no penalties against the district. In the meantime, some Rankin County candidates and voters question whether Weathersby acted ethically. The situation has raised additional ethical questions because the board determines Weathersby’s salary.
In the e-mail, Weathersby lauds incumbent s Cecil McCrory and Larry Black Jr. for their work on the board and expresses a desire to continue working with them. Black is running for a third term and McCrory, who was appointed to the board earlier this year, is running to fill the unexpired term.