PICKENS, SC – A transgender student has been arrested after pushing school resource officer at the Pickens Co. Career & Technology Center on August 16, according to the school district.
John Eby with the Pickens Co. School District says the incident started when the student entered a restroom and other students who were in the restroom told the administration.
They say the student used the restroom and the situation was addressed. They say the conversation ended without incident.
Several hours later, the same student confronted the School Resource Officer (SRO) in the cafeteria and accused the officer of misrepresenting circumstances regarding the previous day’s situation and general bathroom accommodations that had been discussed, according to Eby.
When the student began yelling, the SRO walked away from the cafeteria to the office area in an attempt to de-escalate the situation and remove the other students from the situation, according to Eby.
When they got in the office with two school administrators, the student became belligerent toward the officer and pushed the SRO, according to Eby.
He says one of the administrators restrained the student and requested that the officer make an arrest.
The student was arrested and charged with disturbing schools and assaulting an officer, according to Eby.
He says, “We recognize that this incident touches on ongoing national conversations about the rights of transgender students in our society, as well as the role of law enforcement in our schools. In light of this reality, we must emphasize that the arrest in this situation was not the result of the student’s attempt to use a male restroom. The student was arrested solely for assaulting and threatening an officer during an altercation which the student appeared to initiate.”
“It has been and will continue to be our practice to work with transgender students and their parents on a case-by-case basis to provide accommodations for their safety, privacy and well-being. The right to such accommodations extends to all students. We also are continuing to monitor the national and regional legal proceedings related to this issue and will comply with the law as it evolves,” said Eby.
