Kay Seabolt has decided to appeal the recent ruling from the Fayette County Elections Board to disqualify her as a candidate for the Post 5 seat on the Fayette County Board of Education.

The appeal will be heard in Superior Court, and Seabolt is hoping for a decision sooner rather than later. Currently, she is in limbo because she cannot campaign for office as the other two persons in the race are already able to do.

The elections board ruled last week that Seabolt could not run for office because she was working for the school board part time as an assistant principal at Peeples Elementary at the time she filed her affidavit of candidacy, which was filed on the date she qualified for office.

At the time of the ruling, Seabolt said her committee had already made plans to purchase campaign signs, T-shirts and brochures to support her candidacy. Now, all of that is on hold, as Seabolt is not sure whether she can legally spend funds donated to her campaign ... or even her own money in a bid to stump for the Post 5 seat.

“I actually was going to return the (campaign) money given to me,” Seabolt said. “One thing I have wondered is, could I campaign if I wanted to?”

Elections officials have said Seabolt’s name would appear on the ballot, but any votes she received would not have counted.

Seabolt initially said she wasn’t sure if she would challenge the board's decision, but several attorneys have approached her and said they felt she would ultimately prevail in the case.

“That was one of several things that convinced me,” Seabolt said.

Also, several persons have started a legal fund to help pay for the attorney’s fees, which took away Seabolt’s argument that it would be too costly, she said.

Seabolt will be represented by Fayetteville attorney Chris Ramig.

The Post 5 seat is currently held by Lee Wright, who is running for re-election, and long-time principal Faith Hardnett also qualified for the election. Seabolt formerly served for many years as the school system’s math coordinator.

Seabolt said she knew she wouldn’t be able to work for the school board once elected, but she claims the law allows her to do so while she is campaigning for the office.

But the board focused on the affidavit that she filed when qualifying for office, noting that at the time she qualifies a candidate has to swear they are “eligible” to serve in office.

Code section 20-2-51(c) states: “No person employed by a local board of education shall be eligible to serve as a member of that board of education.”

Seabolt contends that law doesn’t forbid her from working for the school board until she assumes office, were she to be elected.

Seabolt said she was touched by the kind responses from friends reacting to the elections board’s decision.

“So many people have called me or e-mailed me to say they were really sorry that happened to me, that they think the decision was wrong and they thought I’d do a good job,” Seabolt said. “... It really reminds you who your friends are.”