UNION COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A mother who said her son was videotaped by a principal and shared at school wants answers.
Carol Jeter spoke with WBTW sister station, 7 News, as the state launches an investigation into what exactly happened at Union County High School on September 13.
Jeter said when she told the superintendent last Tuesday she was “satisfied” with the investigation she hadn’t been given all the information. She said when new information was uncovered the next day she never heard from the district.
That’s one of many questions Jeter said she has for the supertintendent and the board of trustees concerning allegations a Union County High School principal shot video using his cell phone of her son. and shared it with others.
“He’s supposed to be running and guiding the school and you’re gonna take a picture of my son,” asked Jeter
Jeter said she learned of a possible video four days after the alleged video was taken on Friday, September 13.
She said she received two phone calls from the superintendent and his assistant. “She was saying that it was being investigated and she said that they had no evidence of a videotape or of a picture,” said Jeter.
The next day on Wednesday, Sept. 18, Superintendent Dr. William Roach released a statement saying in part his internal investigation into a report of a special needs student being videotaped by a principal and shared with others concluded “a regular education student was videoed” and “for a potential news article, but that video was not shared.”
Roach also said the mother of the child was “satisfied” with the investigation.
7 News asked Jeter if that statement was accurate. “Yes, because he told me that they found no evidence of a video,” she said.
But after confirmation of a video Jeter said she never heard back from Roach or anyone at the district.“I obviously have only been told bits and pieces and it sounds to me as if things are being shoved the wrong way,” she explained.
Jeter didn’t have a chance to ask questions at Monday’s board meeting where a member read a statement that said in part “student safety and student privacy are important to the board” and “the South Carolina Department of Education has opened an investigation into the matter.”
“While the investigation is ongoing, the board will not comment or take any action on the matter,” said a board member.
Other parents wanted to know why the principal is allowed to be at work while the matter is investigated.
That’s an answer they may not get until the state department of education releases its findings.
Other than the superintendent saying the video was meant for a news article, there’s still a lot of speculation about the nature of it’s contents and why the boy was videotaped.
