Despite students being warned from day one of consequences when breaking the Columbia County School District Code of Conduct, the county has still experienced a handful of occurrences that resulted in students being charged or detained.
Within the first month of school starting, Columbia County has reported five separate incidents across five different schools in the district. According to press releases, incidents ranging from dangerous threats to weapons being brought to school to a teacher having inappropriate behavior with a past student.
On the first day back to school, Aug. 4, a loaded Glock 48 handgun was found hidden in a student’s backpack from Greenbrier High School, according to a report by the Columbia County School District Police.
The student was later charged with carrying a weapon within School Safety Zones and taken to the Augusta Regional Youth Detention Center.
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Later on Aug. 21, a press release stated a tip was anonymously given to Lakeside Middle School administrators regarding a social media post by a student threatening gun violence against the school.
“The student has been detained and charged by law enforcement, and school administrators will also hold all responsible parties accountable according to the school district Code of Conduct,” the press release said.
Press releases have highlighted the importance of “see something, say something” and how hotline tips can help staff respond quickly to any possible threat.
The following day, on Aug. 22, another incident occurred involving a teacher from Evans Middle School having inappropriate conversations online with a former student who no longer lives in the area. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office informed administrators of the investigation which resulted in the employee being relieved from all duties and his resignation.
“The Columbia County School District does not condone nor does it tolerate inappropriate communication from any employee,” said a press release from Evans Middle School.
“It’s amazing to me that we continue to have this problem,” said Columbia County Board of Education member Judy Teasley. “Schools don’t exist in the vacuum. Schools, teachers, faculty, all the people that make up the school institution of education mirror the communities they serve. So we don’t live in a perfect world and we’re not going to be made up of perfect people.”
Teasley said employees undergo background checks and are made aware of the consequences of their actions if they engage in inappropriate behavior, but sometimes choose to make wrong decisions despite the bad outcomes.
“It is beyond me. It amazes me, especially in this day in time when social media is out there for all the world to see,” she said. “It is people being misguided and just making poor decisions, which is why it is so important for everybody who is in a child’s life today to do all they can to help that child learn to make the best decisions possible.”
MORE: Greenbrier High School student charged after gun found in his backpack
Another incident occurred Aug. 25 when a student was found bringing a personal defense device capable of emitting a low-voltage shock to Columbia Middle School.
Columbia County School District Police immediately started investigating and “confiscated the device,” said a press release from Columbia Middle School.
“Safety is a top priority and weapons of any kind are not tolerated or condoned on any school campus. Though the device was only capable of emitting a low-voltage shock, we want to reassure our parents that we take incidents such as these extremely seriously,” said a press release from Columbia Middle School.
Then on Aug. 26, Grovetown Middle School released a press release which stated, “… following an investigation into allegations of a threat, a student was detained and charged with terroristic threats and acts, after threatening to shoot the school and another student.”
The report also encouraged parents to speak with their students about the consequences of fake threats and how they will not be tolerated.
“Students are warned from day one,” said Teasley. “Bringing weapons to school or making threats, even if you do it in jest, students know it has serious consequences. You can say it with a smile on your face a mile wide, but it’s going to have serious consequences that are anything but funny.”
Teasley said the district Code of Conduct is “preached yearly” to students the first week of school to remind them of possible consequences of breaking district rules. “Students could probably even quote that Code of Conduct to you,” she said. “It is constantly referred to.”
MORE: Lakeside Middle student arrested for threat of gun violence at school
She encourages parents and mentors to stress to children the importance of following school rules and see it in their best interest to respect the Code of Conduct to prevent future incidents from occurring.
“Since none of us have a crystal ball and don’t know for sure, we can’t sit back and do nothing. So it’s the old adage ‘if you see something, say something,’” Teasley said. “Don’t sit back and do nothing, we all have to take that stance whether we’re adults or whether we’re children. If somebody is threatening harm, I think we have to be proactive rather than sit back and wish we had done something to make a difference.”
Superintendent Steven Flynt said Columbia County is making communication with parents a priority to keep them well-informed and ensure student safety.
“We want parents to know what’s happening in our schools. It’s a shared responsibility here and we need parents’ help and we need students’ help,” he said. “If they hear that something has happened, then they’re more likely to pay attention maybe the next time they think about doing something. We want to educate our students about the right behavior and what will and won’t be tolerated.”
Flynt said the county is trying to make parents and students aware that violence and threats will not be tolerated within schools.
“We take it very seriously and we provide consequences early on so we don’t have that behavior again,” he said.
To view any of the mentioned press releases visit the school’s official website and to report any suspicious behavior please call the district’s anonymous Tip Hotline at (706) 541-3600
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
