Jasper County, South Carolina – A scathing new report from South Carolina’s Office of the Inspector General alleges that a former Jasper County School District superintendent engaged in a wide range of misconduct when she was in charge for almost seven years, including stealing public money and making fake legal documents.
The report, which was made public on July 11, describes a problematic pattern of behavior by Rechel Anderson, who was fired by the Jasper County Board of Education in October 2023. This is the first time that the results of earlier investigations have been formally sent to the law enforcement for potential criminal prosecution. According to the Inspector General’s office, Anderson’s actions may warrant prosecution.
One of the most significant accusations against Anderson is that she fabricated a lease and a notary stamp to falsely claim that she lived in the district, which was a condition of her job contract. The investigation says that this misrepresentation let her get more than $660,000 in salary and benefits that she wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
But that’s only the start.
The investigation also says that Anderson didn’t file required financial audits between 2021 and 2024, made improper payments to personnel, and hired people who weren’t qualified to manage the school’s money. These mistakes led to more state control, which went from Fiscal Watch to Fiscal Emergency.
Read also: South Carolina secures new funds for addiction treatment in latest opioid lawsuit win
Anderson is also said to have had secret financial ties to Cognia, the district’s accrediting agency, while she was superintendent. This is an obvious conflict of interest. The audit says that over the course of several years, she never reported almost $15,000 in income from Cognia on the mandatory ethics filings.
Investigators also found proof that Anderson ran privately owned businesses such as a café and a publishing company, without telling the school board, which was a requirement of her contract. She is accused of using school staff and resources to support those ventures, including having employees help write her personal book. In one case, she is said to have taken money out of a retirement account that the district paid for, claiming she was buying a property, and then sent the money to one of her firms.
Read also: South Carolina AG Alan Wilson announces $21 million Medicaid fraud bust tied to multi-state scam
This is not the first time Anderson has left a school district under scrutiny. She was fired from Florence School District 4 before coming to Jasper County because the district was in a state of emergency. That firing came after claims of lying about documents, not giving information, and not going back to work after a student shooting.
Anderson was able to get a separation deal with Jasper County that paid her $336,000, which is the same as 18 months’ salary, after she was fired, even though there had been problems in the past.
Read also: South Carolina AG Alan Wilson celebrates Violent Crimes Case Reduction Unit first trial conviction
The Jasper County School Board is looking for a permanent replacement for Sam Whack Jr., who is now interim superintendent. In the meantime, state and local law enforcement are looking into the Inspector General’s report to see if they should file criminal charges.
