James Taylor is a history teacher at Little Axe Public Schools and a Republican running for state superintendent.
On Saturday, Little Axe Superintendent Jay Thomas posted a message, saying an employee had made “multiple campaign ads using school resources, including a school classroom.” Thomas called the actions improper and questioned if the content violated campaign ethics rules.
He quoted the Oklahoma State School Boards Association, whose guidance on Oklahoma law says employees who are candidates may not use district resources for their campaigns.
According to state law, “any official in this state who shall direct or authorize the expenditure of any public funds under his care, except as specifically authorized by law, to be used in either support of, or opposition to, any measure which is being referred to a vote of the people by a means of the initiative or referendum … shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.”
Thomas said the employee failed to remove the posts from social media after repeated requests.
Taylor issued a response saying he instructed his campaign to remove a video from social media after reading an email from Thomas.
“Unfortunately, by the time it was removed, Little Axe Public Schools had already issued its public statement,” Taylor said in the statement. “At no point was there any intent to misuse school resources or distract from the important work being done in our classrooms. … I would like to reiterate that this issue has been resolved.”
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