Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing two more North Texas school districts for alleged electioneering related to school vouchers.
In two separate lawsuits, Paxton requests a restraining order and temporary and permanent injunctions against Denison ISD and Castleberry ISD. He has filed similar suits against Frisco ISD and Denton ISD.
Paxton alleges Castleberry ISD Superintendent Renee Smith-Faulkner forwarded an email to school administration from the head of the Castleberry School Retirees Association, Linda Jo Galvan. In the email, Galvan encourages readers to vote for Pat Hardy, who is running for re-election for the District 11 seat on the State Board of Education and who in the past
The email also includes a list of lawmakers who 鈥渟tuck their necks out to vote for us,鈥� according to a screenshot included in Paxton鈥檚 filing.
Smith-Faulkner forwarded the email, along with a message to 鈥渧ote accordingly.
鈥淭he main responsibility we have is to have a voice in the future of public education,鈥� she wrote.
Paxton says the superintendent鈥檚 email includes 鈥渓isting specific candidates that do and do not deserve support鈥� and therefore violates the state Education Code and Election Code.
In an email to 四虎影院 Thursday night, Smith-Faulkner said the lawsuit "filed by the Attorney General yesterday has been resolved.
"Recognizing there was no intended violation of law, the parties agreed to resolve the case and we will be vigilant to avoid even the appearance of electioneering," she wrote. "Our focus will be to continue providing quality public education, the foundation of the American Education System, which has and always will be instrumental in our nation鈥檚 success."
Paxton also alleges a message on Denison ISD鈥檚 homepage about opposing vouchers constitutes electioneering.
An earlier version of the message included in Paxton鈥檚 filing reads: 鈥淥ur Grayson County Texas House of Representatives member Reggie Smith stood firm in his support of Texas public schools in each of the recent special sessions. For that, we say 鈥榯hank you鈥�!鈥�
Paxton says in his filing the message 鈥渋ndicates support for a candidate that is on the ballot in the Republican primary election.鈥�
The message is still on the district鈥檚 homepage, but the line has since been removed.
Paxton also points to a resolution the district passed in August calling on the Texas Legislature to reject using public funds to pay for private vouchers. Numerous districts passed similar resolutions expressing opposition to tying public school funding and teacher pay to a school voucher program.
Paxton acknowledges in a news release announcing the lawsuits that his office does not have the power to prosecute alleged Election Code violations, but an injunction could prohibit 鈥渟chool districts from engaging in unlawful attempts to influence elections,鈥� and violators 鈥渃ould be subject to criminal prosecution by local authorities.鈥�
Denison ISD has not responded to 四虎影院' request for comment.
A news release from Paxton鈥檚 office says the lawsuits are 鈥減art of an ongoing effort by Attorney General Paxton to ensure that Texas elections are not illegally swayed by public officials improperly using state resources.鈥�
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