Dear Editor,
Did the members of the Marion County School Board break the law in their latest departure from ethical behavior?
During the Board meeting on February 13, 2023, televised live on the Marion County School District YouTube account, all members received gifts from representatives in the District, to include at least one member receiving a gift certificate.
Spurred by the apparent lack of ethics in the situation, I set out to determine legality of the matter. According to https://law.justia.com, 2020 Mississippi Code Title 25, Chapter 4, Article 3 § 25-4-119 states “No elected or appointed official shall derive any pecuniary benefit, directly or indirectly, as a result of such elected or appointed official's duties under Sections 21-19-33, 27-109-1, 27-109-3, 27-109-7, 27-109-9, 67-1-71, 87-1-5, 95-3-25, 97-33-1, 97-33-7, 97-33-9, 97-33-17, 97-33-25, and 97-33-27. Any person convicted of a violation of this section shall be punished pursuant to the provisions of this article.”
I’m no legal scholar and I can only state opinion; however, I take moral exception to any elected professional receiving and accepting gifts merely as a function of the duty they volunteered for. While those gift presenters may be unaware of the ethics of their actions, it is entirely reasonable to expect the elected officials to have the professional competence to know better than to accept them. This ethically questionable behavior of the Board members further illustrates their lack of qualification and deservingness to hold their positions.
Civilized society rightfully demands a higher caliber of professional conduct from those elected to serve. Consequently, a drastic change is needed in the accountability of the School Board as a whole. I sincerely hope the readers of this circulation are paying attention.
I’m still awaiting contact from any board member regarding my grievances with their deceitful actions in 2022 as well.
— Mark A. Baughman
Marion County
“When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public property, and justly liable to the inspection and vigilance of public opinion; and the more sensibly he is made to feel his dependence, the less danger will there be of his abuse of power — The abuse of power, that rock on which good governments, and the people’s rights, have been so often wrecked.”
— Thomas Jefferson
