School officials are looking into a citizen's complaint that board member Mary Warren inappropriately took part in a survey paid for by a political action group.

District Superintendent Kenneth Arndt said a parent complained about Warren's involvement in a sampling of residents on the viability of a referendum.

The District 300 ethics policy states that a school board member cannot intentionally misappropriate district resources by engaging in prohibited political activities or perform prohibited political activities while on compensated time. Prohibited political activities include conducting surveys on behalf of a political organization or referendum question.

The school board will meet Oct. 25 to consider the complaint in closed session, said school board attorney Darcy Kriha, of the firm Franczek Sullivan in Chicago.

Kriha said the board must decide in open session whether Warren violated the state ethics law.

Warren said she did not act unethically because there is no referendum on the ballot, and board members are not paid for their service. She said a woman in the community has a vendetta against her.

"It's not the first potshot she's taken at me," Warren said. "I have absolutely no doubt [the claim] will be found unjust."

Warren said the survey was completed as part of the community engagement process that District 300 conducted this year. She said the district agreed to pay for the public-relations portion of the process, including Connect 300, a group that helped set district priorities.

But the survey portion was paid for by Schools Now, a political action group that Warren was active in before she was elected to the school board. Warren said the survey cost between $15,000 and $20,000.

The survey was intended to gauge residents' opinions about a possible property-tax increase. The survey began as Connect 300 was about to finish its work and make recommendations concerning a possible referendum. The group opposed a referendum.

Arndt said the allegations against Warren are overblown.

"I think we're making a mountain out of a molehill," Arndt said.

School board President John Court said he could not comment on the investigation.

The state's ethics law is intended to limit the gifts that government and elected officials receive and ensure that they do not participate in activities deemed unethical. All government agencies were required to adopt an ethics ordinance by June.

Kriha said the board could have appointed a three-person ethics commission to investigate the complaint. She said the board decided to conduct the investigation itself to expedite the process. Kriha said the final decision still will rest with the board members.

"The board really takes this complaint very seriously," Kriha said.