Star City Bulldogs Credit: Star City School District

Last week, Sen. Breanne Davis (R-Russellville) publicly accused the superintendent of Star City Schools of violating policy by allowing teachers from his district to travel to the state Capitol on work time for a hearing on the controversial Arkansas LEARNS bill. Davis called on the Arkansas Department of Education to investigate Superintendent Jordan Frizzell for the alleged infraction.

Today, Frizzell called Davis’ allegation a “false public statement” and defended his decision.

“The policy allows for professional leave for ‘meetings and conferences related to education,’ and certainly the senate education committee hearing over the LEARNS Bill was just that,” Frizzell wrote in a public letter he shared to social media Monday evening.

Davis is a lead sponsor of the governor’s omnibus Arkansas LEARNS education bill.

She and other Republican lawmakers, along with the governor and members of her staff, went on the offensive last week, accusing opponents of the voucher bill of spreading lies. Teachers who missed school Wednesday to testify on Senate Bill 294 were accused of abandoning their students and putting their own interests ahead of kids.

Frizzell said he’s been surprised by how aggressive politicians and voucher supporters have been in going after opponents.

“It’s just unbelievable, really. It’s shocking to me they would reach this far,” he told Gennie Diaz of For AR People.

Here’s the post in which Davis made her accusation.

Austin Gelder is the editor of the Arkansas Times and loves to write about government, politics and education. Send me your juiciest gossip, please.