The school board has asked the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to investigate the possibility of criminal misconduct in its superintendent search.

Cherokee County School Board Chairman Donnie Smith has sent a letter to SLED requesting an investigation into recent incidents which occurred since the school board announced the finalists in its superintendent search two weeks ago.

“These incidents include the receipt by board members of oral and written communications that may be considered blackmail in violation of South Carolina law,” Smith said in a press release issued Wednesday morning. “The board also has been made aware that the personnel files of at least two district employees have been accessed and documents removed from those files by unauthorized persons. Such unauthorized removal and/or destruction of public records is considered a crime under South Carolina law.”

The school board voted Tuesday to request the investigation after recent threats were made against board members, including a possible blackmail letter received by school trustee Mike Ellis.

“We are hopeful that SLED will promptly investigate these matters and that appropriate action will be taken,” Smith said.

Ellis received an anonymous letter in his mail at home last week. The letter included a message and a copy of his wife’s school district employee check detail report. The date of the check was Aug. 30, 2004, when Kelly Ellis was paid for days she worked outside her contract as attendance clerk at Gaffney High School.

The message reads, “The information on the enclosed page isn’t nearly as important as the vote you will cast for our next superintendent. Do the right thing for the students and the district and vote for Dr. Mark Bunch.”

Several other trustees have reported receiving anonymous letters of a threatening nature seeking to influence their decision in the superintendent search process. At least one of the four candidates for the job has received similar threats.

The four finalists are Stafford County Schools Assistant Superintendent Dr. Chris Quinn of Stafford, Va.; chief human resources officer Dr. Angela Bain from School District 5 of Lexington and Richland counties in Columbia; Spartanburg District 2 Assistant Superintendent Dr. Quincie Moore; and Granard Middle School Principal Dr. Mark Bunch.

“While the Board acknowledges that there is significant community interest and varying opinions regarding who should serve the district as our next superintendent and respects that interest and those opinions, the board will not tolerate being subjected to blackmail as we carry out our responsibility to select the person whom we believe can best lead the district,” Smith said. “The board also will not tolerate any person altering, destroying or unlawfully releasing the personnel files of district employees.”