When I considered running for school board earlier this year, the first thing I did was start researching the rules and regulations that govern the race. There are many, but they aren't that difficult to find.
For instance, within 10 seconds of doing a Google search, I found a document entitled What Every Kentucky School Board Candidate Should Know published by the Kentucky School Board Association, where the responsibilities and rules that govern candidates are given. That document points to KRS 161.164, which states "No candidate for school board shall solicit or accept any political assessment, subscription, contribution, or service of any employee of the school district."
From that statement alone, it would appear that if the e-mail did indeed come from Mr. Bell, he has violated this Kentucky statute. If he has, I would respectfully ask that he drop out of the race. If we expect our students to do research before they start a project and follow the rules, we should expect the same out of the people who will lead the schools that teach them.
But this law also makes me question how the JCTA can endorse a candidate and provide large sums of money to endorse them like they have in the past. How are the services of a group of teachers bound by a union any different than those of a single teacher? Especially in light of the attorney general's opinion outlined here.