{"id":3527,"date":"2026-07-21T21:06:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T21:06:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3527"},"modified":"2026-07-21T21:06:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T21:06:49","slug":"sc-teacher-contract-renewed-despite-criminal-charges-the-board-rescinds-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3527","title":{"rendered":"SC teacher contract renewed despite criminal charges. The board rescinds it."},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A teacher in the Lexington-Richland 5 was charged with assaulting a student last fall. Despite the pending charges, her contract was renewed in March.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3526\">This area in Lexington County is getting a new pizza buffet spot. Here\u2019s where<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The school board is trying to walk back on that decision, saying it did not have the information necessary to make it.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Sharon Sweatt, a special education teacher at Nursery Road Elementary School, was arrested in October 2025 and charged with third-degree assault and battery after an altercation with a student, The State previously reported.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A sheriff\u2019s deputy was notified that administrators believed Sweatt had struck a child at the school in October. A teacher\u2019s aide said she had witnessed Sweatt \u201cpop\u201d students \u201con the hands and buttocks\u201d on numerous occasions when Sweatt wanted to discipline them.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The aide reportedly heard \u201ca slapping sound and a student screaming\u201d from Sweatt\u2019s classroom while she was in the classroom next door and said she witnessed a student hitting, kicking and biting Sweatt during recess until Sweatt struck the student in the face. Another aide said she witnessed Sweatt grab a misbehaving student \u201cby the belt loop of his pants\u201d and \u201ctoss\u201d him onto a carpeted area of the classroom.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>At the time of her arrest, the district said Sweatt had been placed on leave because of the allegations, but declined to comment further.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>As of July 2026, the case has not been closed or dismissed, according to the Lexington County Public Index. It is listed as \u201ccontinued.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>But at , Sweatt\u2019s contract was renewed, along with other teachers\u2019 contracts.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A post shared by Dutch Fork Middle School on July 15 listed Sweatt as a new member of its staff for the upcoming school year. It sent community members reeling. The post had been taken down as of Tuesday afternoon, after Superintendent Akil Ross said it was made in error, as Sweatt remains on leave until the situation regarding her charges has been resolved.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>District parents speak out<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>At Monday\u2019s school board meeting, numerous parents signed up for public comment to speak out against the board\u2019s March decision, which ended up being nearly 30 minutes of sometimes tearful testimony. Many who spoke were parents and caretakers of students with special needs, and condemned the board\u2019s actions, others begged the board to take action.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Ashley Reeves, who said her son was in Sweatt\u2019s class, said her son would come home from school with cuts and bruises on his face. He was uncharacteristically quiet, she said,\u2019 and would shut himself in a dark room. His behavior regressed, including potty training.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3524\">Ancient tooth found off NC coast came from shark 70 to 80 feet long, expert says<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just don\u2019t feel like this is something y\u2019all need to remain impartial about and expect us to still want to be a part of this district,\u201d Reeves said. \u201cOur kids are the most important things to us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Danielle Pike was critical of the fact that Sweatt was given paid leave after \u201churting a child that cannot tell anybody about what happened.\u201d Megan Blanchett said that maintaining a contract is \u201cnot more important than our children\u2019s safety.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t care if it\u2019s third degree assault,\u201d Kim Friedricks, another district parent, told the board. \u201cThat\u2019s still somebody laying their hands on somebody &#8230; is that okay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>Is the board\u2019s decision legal?<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The school board voted to recant Sweatt\u2019s reappointment to the district on Monday.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Board member Jason Baynham made a motion to withdraw Sweatt\u2019s reappointment \u201cbecause the board was not provided with pertinent information about this reappointment, and the reappointment is not appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Despite apparent legal advice that suggested otherwise, and despite a failed motion to defer Baynham\u2019s motion until the board received more information, that motion passed in a 5-1 vote, with an abstention. Mike Satterfield abstained from the vote and Kevin Scully opposed it. All other board members voted in favor of Baynham\u2019s motion.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Ross was unsure of the legality of the vote. He told board members that under South Carolina state law, specifically Section 59-25-410, the district has to issue notice and has to give someone the \u201cright to be heard\u201d before deciding to terminate a contract. He recommended the board take one more meeting before making a decision.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would not put anybody in a classroom I thought was hurting student,\u201d Ross said. \u201cBut we don\u2019t have the privilege of violating any of these established laws.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Ross said no one had all the facts of the case.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis employee remains on administrative leave until this matter is fully resolved,\u201d Ross said. \u201cAnd we will balance the safety and security of our students and the due process rights of our staff by using the leave process until we have fully brought this to resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3523\">Leader of SC private school, mosque arrested on criminal sexual conduct, assault charges<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Lexington-Richland 5 special education teacher\u2019s contract was renewed despite pending assault charges, prompting board reversal and parent outcry process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SC teacher contract renewed despite criminal charges. 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