Students at Warren Central High School will not be exempt from final exams for voting in the Vicksburg Warren School District’s bond referendum March 27.

An email was sent to students at Warren Central Feb. 20 as part of the daily announcements saying “Please Help Vicksburg Warren School District pass the bond measure on March 27 to renovate and rebuild our schools! Any student who comes out to vote March 27 will be exempt from all final exams!”

A formal complaint was filed Feb. 21 with the Warren County Election Commission in response to the original message.

The complaint was emailed to the commission by Diana Emfinger, who said she was a retired educator and concerned taxpayer, asking for a full investigation to be conducted because “a person in authority has not just suggested how students should vote, but offered them a tangible benefit” for casting their vote in the election.

The next day, Warren Central principal Eric Green sent an email to faculty and staff saying “an errant announcement was posted in our daily announcements” that students would be eligible for exam exemptions for voting and that “this email was incorrect and in error.”

He further stated that “there would be no exemption from final exams” for students who vote in the election. Under school policy, students can be exempt from exams depending on their grade in a course and number of absences.

The email from Green was included in a response to the complaint sent to the election commission by Butler/Snow LLP. Election commission chairwoman Sara Dionne said because it is a special election it was the schools district’s responsibility to respond to the complaint not the commission.

District communication director Christi Kilroy confirmed that students would not be exempt from exams for voting, but she couldn’t comment on where the message originated from or who sent the original email.

District officials could not be reached for further comment.