A candidate for Sumter County school superintendent has accused incumbent Superintendent Rick Shirley of pressuring school employees to campaign for him.
At Tuesday’s school board meeting, South Sumter High School Principal Preston Morgan read a statement attacking the 20-year incumbent.
“The staff members and administrators informed me they were encouraged, and even pressured, either by Rick Shirley or by his representatives, into leaving their posts, during operational school hours, to participate in campaign activities for the Rick Shirley campaign. In addition, it appears Rick Shirley created a workplace atmosphere of hostility, placing these staff members and administrators in fear, concerned their job security and/or advancement was contingent upon their participation in and public support of his campaign,” Morgan said in his statement.
He called on the school board to launch an independent investigation into the matter.
Shirley said he would “welcome” an investigation into what he called “unfounded concerns” raised by Morgan, who earlier this year donated $500 to Shirley’s re-election effort.
Last week in the GOP primary, Shirley defeated Wildwood Elementary Principal John Temple. Morgan has filed to run with No Party Affiliation and will face Shirley in November’s election.
“Morgan is ashamed to claim a political party, having been both Democrat and Republican in the month of June, settling for NPA,” Shirley said.
“His unfounded charges are harmful to the focus of our students and rights of our staff, purely to promote his liberal agenda and floundering political campaign. His malicious attempt to erode our Constitutional rights of free speech are obviously not the only things he should be ashamed of,” Shirley added.