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Clay School Board files emergency petition in superintendent fight

Clay County School District

ORANGE PARK, Fla. — The Clay County  School Board filed an emergency petition Tuesday morning in its ongoing dispute over how the district chooses its superintendent.

At the center of the court fight is a referendum to allow voters to decide this year how the superintendent is chosen.

The Clay County  School Board adopted that resolution last month. But only the Board of County Commissioners can put the referendum on the ballot.

The petition to the Circuit Court of the Fourth Judicial Circuit in Clay County asks for the referendum to be placed on the November ballot this fall.

The Board of Clay County Commissioners delayed adding the referendum to the ballot until 2016. Both sides have hired outside lawyers to fight the case.