The Jasper County School Board held a virtual meeting on Thursday afternoon — marking the second unexpected board meeting this week — and voted to continue to receive legal services from the law firm Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd. This comes two days after the board voted to put the superintendent on paid leave.
All board members, except Tedd Moyd, agreed to maintain the contractual arrangements with the law firm. No mention was made of designating an acting superintendent afterward.
Superintendent Rechel Anderson is under investigation by the board , though the specifics of the investigation have not been revealed. When asked for details, Board Chair Priscilla Green declined to comment, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation and her unwillingness to discuss the matter without the school board’s lawyer present.
Attorney Ronald Scott and special counsel Costa Pleicones from Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd were present at the Thursday meeting and the private executive session. Moyd, who missed the Tuesday meeting, debated about their presence at the session without full board cooperation.
“These attorneys have been working in our district and for our district,” Green told Moyd before the conversation moved to executive session.
The law firm provides legal services , including regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions, litigation and administrative matters, to various financial institutions, according to their website. This is the same firm that completed an audit of Beaufort County’s procurement practices.
After executive session, board member Shalonda Toomer made a motion to the board to continue with what she termed the “immigration law firm,” with Daisy Mitchell and Priscilla Fraser providing the second.
Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd handles immigration matters for diverse clients, including local governments, schools, universities, corporations, healthcare facilities and individuals, according to the firm’s website. They assist with visas, permanent residency, compliance audits, employer representation, work permits, J-1 waivers for medical graduates and export control policies.
A Post and Courier investigation published July 18 revealed that school district officials have spent over $228,000 on travel and lodging since 2020. This came the same week Anderson was placed on paid administrative leave.
Treasurer Michael Skinner, engaged in a legal battle with the county for access to numerous hidden bank accounts, said he provided extensive financial statements and disbursement information to the school board’s Interim Director of Finance Russell Zimmerman.
In August 2019, Superintendent Anderson received a public reprimand from the State Board of Education for unprofessional conduct during her tenure in Florence County. The reprimand highlighted issues such as undocumented absences, requesting a full payout for leave time already taken, and continuing a tour of Jasper County schools instead of returning to the district after two Florence students were fatally shot.
The reprimand also noted that Anderson falsified a personnel report, withheld information from state investigators, and was dishonest about her actions. Furthermore, she did not fire an employee as instructed by the state superintendent, allowing the employee to continue working for two weeks after the directive.
Upcoming schedule of meetings
According to the district’s website, any changes in meeting location or time will be announced at least 24 hours in advance. No regular board meetings are held in July, only special meetings if necessary. The website emphasizes that any meeting changes will be posted at the district office and on the district’s website.
For both the Tuesday and upcoming Thursday meetings, the district office taped the notice on the door but did not post it to the website, causing confusion for parents and others seeking access to the meeting.
The next school board meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. on July 23. As of Friday morning, no notice of the meeting had been posted on the district’s office door or on its website.
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