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| South Carolina parents criticize school board after police altercation | South Carolina parents criticize school board after police altercation |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Parents of students at the South Carolina school where a police officer threw a black teenage girl to the floor have spoken out against district’s school board, accusing them of negligence and saying the altercation reveals race issues. | Parents of students at the South Carolina school where a police officer threw a black teenage girl to the floor have spoken out against district’s school board, accusing them of negligence and saying the altercation reveals race issues. |
| A video that shows a sheriff’s deputy manhandling a student for refusing to leave her chair provoked the outrage, and prompted the Richland County sheriff Leon Lott to put the deputy, Ben Fields, on leave. | |
| Lott has called a press conference for noon on Wednesday to announce the results of his department’s internal investigation into the incident. Asked about an NBC report that Fields would be fired, a sheriff’s department spokesperson told the Guardian: “I don’t know where folks are getting that.” | |
| The Department of Justice and the FBI are also investigating any potential civil rights violations surrounding the incident. | The Department of Justice and the FBI are also investigating any potential civil rights violations surrounding the incident. |
| Columbia attorney Todd Rutherford told ABC’s Good Morning America on Wednesday that Fields should have been fired as soon as Sheriff Leon Lott saw the video recorded by several students at Spring Valley high school in Columbia. | Columbia attorney Todd Rutherford told ABC’s Good Morning America on Wednesday that Fields should have been fired as soon as Sheriff Leon Lott saw the video recorded by several students at Spring Valley high school in Columbia. |
| “She now has a cast on her arm, she has neck and back injuries. She has a Band-Aid on her forehead where she suffered rug burn on her forehead,” Rutherford told the network. | “She now has a cast on her arm, she has neck and back injuries. She has a Band-Aid on her forehead where she suffered rug burn on her forehead,” Rutherford told the network. |
| Lott had said Tuesday that the girl was uninjured in the confrontation but “may have had a rug burn”. | Lott had said Tuesday that the girl was uninjured in the confrontation but “may have had a rug burn”. |
| Fields’ suspension was not nearly enough for one parent, who asked the school board on Tuesday night: “You’re beating up little girls in school and you’re thinking about firing him?” | Fields’ suspension was not nearly enough for one parent, who asked the school board on Tuesday night: “You’re beating up little girls in school and you’re thinking about firing him?” |
| Others simply expressed their disgust for the officer’s behavior at Spring Valley High School, including one mother who said: “if I want to put my hand on my child that’s my business, but for somebody else to grab my child, that’s just despicable.” | Others simply expressed their disgust for the officer’s behavior at Spring Valley High School, including one mother who said: “if I want to put my hand on my child that’s my business, but for somebody else to grab my child, that’s just despicable.” |
| But the school board hearing also exposed fault lines in the community. Rebecca Woodford, a mother of Spring Valley students, told local WSPA news: “My daughters all love him.” | But the school board hearing also exposed fault lines in the community. Rebecca Woodford, a mother of Spring Valley students, told local WSPA news: “My daughters all love him.” |
| Woodford insisted the incident was not racially related, although many white and black complainants at the hearing argued it was. “This is not a race issue,” she said. “This deputy is actually dating a black woman.” | Woodford insisted the incident was not racially related, although many white and black complainants at the hearing argued it was. “This is not a race issue,” she said. “This deputy is actually dating a black woman.” |
| County resident Kyle Lacio told the local outlet he believed the opposite: “If that was a white girl sitting there at the desk, whatever the situation was, you wouldn’t have seen her being thrown across the room.” | County resident Kyle Lacio told the local outlet he believed the opposite: “If that was a white girl sitting there at the desk, whatever the situation was, you wouldn’t have seen her being thrown across the room.” |
| The school board released a statement about the incident, with chairman James Manning saying he found the video “extremely disturbing”. | The school board released a statement about the incident, with chairman James Manning saying he found the video “extremely disturbing”. |
| “The amount of force used on a female student by a male officer appears to me to be excessive and unnecessary,” Manning said. He said that the county superintendent, Debbie Hamm, had contacted the sheriff to make sure the deputy was banned from all district schools. | “The amount of force used on a female student by a male officer appears to me to be excessive and unnecessary,” Manning said. He said that the county superintendent, Debbie Hamm, had contacted the sheriff to make sure the deputy was banned from all district schools. |
| Hamm also released a statement, saying the district is “deeply concerned” and “student safety is and always will be the district’s top priority. The district will not tolerate any actions that jeopardize the safety of our students.” | Hamm also released a statement, saying the district is “deeply concerned” and “student safety is and always will be the district’s top priority. The district will not tolerate any actions that jeopardize the safety of our students.” |
| Lott told reporters he “wanted to throw up” after watching the video, but added that he doubted any racial element to the incident, in part because Fields has dated an African American woman for “quite some time”. | Lott told reporters he “wanted to throw up” after watching the video, but added that he doubted any racial element to the incident, in part because Fields has dated an African American woman for “quite some time”. |
| The Associated Press contributed to this report | The Associated Press contributed to this report |