Appeals Court Upholds Firing Of Ex-Chief Of Aberdeen Schools

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – The Mississippi Court of Appeals has upheld the firing of a former Aberdeen School District superintendent.

Chester Leigh lost his job after telling the district’s chief financial officer in 2011 to lease two sport utility vehicles for a security force Leigh wanted to create. The lease wasn’t approved by the school board, and it was done without bids.

The board fired Leigh in December 2011, and in the spring of 2012 the school district held a hearing about his job.

The state took control of the Aberdeen School District in April 2012 after finding accreditation violations, and a conservator confirmed Leigh’s firing.

Leigh appealed to the Monroe County Chancery Court.

In a ruling Tuesday, the Court of Appeals confirmed the chancery court’s decision to uphold Leigh’s termination.