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A South Carolina family is suing Richland 1 School District after a teacher allegedly left their 6-year-old son with special needs behind at a farm during a field trip. The lawsuit accuses the district of charging excessive fees to obtain records relating to the incident. It to a number of accusations that the district violates state open records and open meetings laws.
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Here are key takeaways:
- A Richland 1 teacher allegedly left a 6-year-old special needs student behind at Cottle Farms during a school-sponsored field trip, and the district failed to perform head counts or roster checks before the bus departed, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday. The family says the district billed them nearly $3,000 for public records tied to the incident, far exceeding South Carolina Freedom of Information Act limits on search and retrieval fees, per the complaint filed in state court.
- A Richland County judge ruled in February 2024 that the school board violated open meetings laws by voting unanimously to approve unspecified recommendations from a closed-door session without explaining what those recommendations were, in a case brought by USC law professor Clint Wallace. The disputed vote concerned the stalled $31 million Vince Ford Early Learning Center, which was halted after the state Education Department determined the building could not be considered a school because plans included serving infants, as reported when the board first refused to disclose its action.
- Board member Beatrice King alleged in a 2022 deposition that closed-door sessions involved shouting matches and physical intimidation, and said she recorded at least two executive sessions because she believed the board was breaking the law, as part of a separate FOIA lawsuit. King described a 2017 incident in which board member Cheryl Harris became irate during an executive session and had to be physically restrained by three men, an account Harris disputed, according to the deposition filing.
- Fifth Circuit Court Judge Robert Hood ruled in 2019 that Richland 1 unlawfully conducted public business in executive session when board members decided how to respond to a parent’s letter about an ESL program, ordering the district to pay $4,566.82 in attorney’s fees, in a ruling on a lawsuit brought by parent Nancy Miramonti.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
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