DD4 schools superintendent under investigation for alleged threats to school board chairman

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The State Department of Education is investigating the school superintendent for Dorchester School District 4.

The investigation was launched after school board chairman Kenneth Jenkins claimed Dr. Kelvin Wymbs sent him threatening text messages.

Jenkins says it all started when the superintendent sent him a text back in May, accusing him of leaking information to the public that was discussed in executive session at a board meeting.

“I texted back, ‘No, I was not the one to do that kind of thing,’” Jenkins said Friday. “The texts became a bit more agitated on his part and I finally said in text, ‘No, I’m not gonna have any more conversation with you.’”

“He texted me back and called me a liar. He said,'You are a liar, and I was the one who leaked information to the public,” Jenkins said.

The board chairman said he then shut his phone off for several hours, and when he turned it back on there were several missed calls from Wymbs and more text messages.

Jenkins says those text messages were also sent to other board members and employees.

“That’s where sort of ticked me off because they were curse words, words that I’m not going to use,” Jenkins said.

Several folks in the St. George community signed a petition and wrote to the State Department of Education asking for Wymbs' removal from his job.

A letter sent from the Department of Education to Wymbs confirms that a complaint was filed against him and an investigation is underway.

“I think the state can decide what they want to do with him but he certainly shouldn’t be superintendent anywhere, not with that kind of attitude that he has,” Jenkins said.

Wymbs declined to comment for our story. A spokesman for the Department of Education also declined to comment.

Copyright 2020 WCSC. All rights reserved.