BEAUFORT — A local school administrator, placed on administrative leave this month after appearing in a campaign video that endorsed a local candidate, is back at work.
“Principal Bradley Tarrance has returned to his duties as principal of Robert Smalls Leadership Academy,” Candace Bruder, chief communications officer with the Beaufort County School District, said on Sept. 14.
Asked what led to the decision to allow Tarrance to return to school, Bruder said that personnel matters are confidential.
“The district does not comment on specific employee matters,” she said.
Tarrance was placed on administrative leave Sept. 2 after he appeared in a campaign video and voiced support for Jared Madison, a candidate for Beaufort City Council.
The video, filmed on school grounds, was initially posted to Madison’s Facebook page. Madison took it down after South Carolina’s ethics laws were brought to his attention.
A first-time candidate for office, Madison said he believed government officials and community leaders should take accountability when they make an error and “work diligently to prevent such lapses in the future,” he said.
“I have made countless mistakes in my life, and I am certain this will not be the last time I make one,” he said.
He was unaware of the laws, which he called “a bit complex,” but went on to say that leadership does not mean pretending you will never make a mistake.
“To me, it means being willing to acknowledge one, learn from it and become better because of it,” he said.
An online petition titled “Support the return of Mr. T as principal” began circulating soon after Tarrance was placed on leave.
The petition, created by Samantha Kelson, a parent of a student at Robert Smalls Leadership Academy, had over 400 signatures and had been shared over 500 times as of Sept. 14, when Tarrance returned to school.
“Having Mr. T as the principal of our school has had a tremendous impact on my children and our entire community,” Kelson wrote on the petition’s webpage.