BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Allegations of fraud, misuse, whistleblowing, and a lack of transparency surfaced during Tuesday’s Bay District School Board meeting.
What was supposed to be the approval of personnel recommendations turned into an hour-long discussion, resulting in the removal of one man’s termination from that list.
“I believe my dismissal and subsequent harassment is a direct result of the complaints I filed with the Inspector General’s office in Bay County,” BDS Transportation Department employee James Campbell said.
James Campbell has been a diesel mechanic employed at Bay District Schools’ transportation department since November 2025.
On April 20, he received an employee evaluation with highly effective ratings.
Less than a month later, he received a letter of dismissal from Superintendent Mark McQueen.
On Tuesday, Campbell presented school board members with a sample of the complaints he sent to the office of the inspector general.
They include safety issues, being told to use recycled materials to fix school buses, employees working on personal vehicles at the bus barn, using district vehicles to commute to and from work, and nearly ten more complaints.
His allegations of retaliation for whistleblowing led some board members to demand answers. Why did the superintendent recommend Mr. Campbell’s termination?
“I can’t fathom why you can’t be transparent with us today. And the public needs to know as well. We’ve got, apparently, a hell of a diesel mechanic...
WASHINGTON, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- This release is issued by King & Spalding: The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that New York Packaging II LLC, doing business as Redi-Bag USA,...