CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Bradley County school board Chairman David Kelley and Vice Chairman Terry McGuire apologized Thursday over an e-mail sent to school system employees endorsing a county mayor candidate.
At a school board meeting, the two told other board members and school employees they didn’t intend to cause discomfort by sending the e-mail endorsing Lisa Stanbery. They said they were exercising their First Amendment right to free speech.
Three fellow board members called the mass e-mail a mistake and said it should never have been sent.
“Sometimes in life you don’t have to break a law to do something that’s not right,” board member Troy Weathers said. The e-mail implied it was speaking for the board, he said, and it was not.
“This action has politicized our system and will ultimately hurt our kids,” Mr. Weathers said.
Christy Critchfield said she never would send such an e-mail. She urged all political candidates not to use the e-mail situation as a license to send even more political statements to teachers.
“My No. 1 concern is we have opened Pandora’s box,” Ms. Critchfield said.
“There are over 100 people running for political office the next four months. And we have just told everyone it’s OK to download our e-mail addresses and use those for their political benefit,” she said.
Dr. Richard Baker was absent but sent a letter calling the e-mail “an error in judgment.”
Mr. Kelley said the letter represented two private individuals expressing their views. He read a letter from school board attorney Charles Cagle stating no laws or policies were broken.
“Perception does become reality,” Mr. McGuire said. He apologized to the board members “that the perception was that what was said was an entire board endorsement. That was not the intention.”
He apologized to Director Johnny McDaniel, past superintendents and county commissioners as well as the hundreds of teachers who got the e-mail at work.
Board member Mark Grissom accepted the apology, referring to incidents in the past where he had to apologize to the board as well.
In January 2008, Mr. Grissom apologized after sending an e-mail to Mr. Kelley criticizing former schools director Bob Taylor.
He said his apology was never accepted “and that hurt.”
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