CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. -- Just days after our Defenders uncovered what law enforcement calls a school safety failure by Chester County Schools, prosecutors in South Carolina are asking the state to investigate school administrators' actions.
In response, the superintendent is welcoming the investigation, and said there was never an actual threat.
Investigators previously told NBC Charlotte that a Lewisville Middle School teacher caught a 13-year-old student with a picture showing him shooting another student in the head.
Investigators told NBC Charlotte the school district never alerted them of the graphic discovery even though the teacher who found the drawing brought it to administrators' attention.
Solicitor Randy Newman, Jr. has since asked the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to investigate the actions of school and district administrators.
"This day and time, we cannot be too careful," Newman said. "We must take even the smallest threat seriously and we must have the proper authorities investigate every incident. Not only should we all work together to ensure the utmost safety of our students and teachers, all agencies must follow the law."
The superintendent issued a statement late today, calling what law enforcement told NBC Charlotte inaccurate:
"The drawings in question, which were made by the student on a completed school assignment, are not of a school nor do the drawings show an intended target or identify the student as a shooter," Superintendent Angela Bain said.
"According to the student, who was questioned by school administrators immediately after his teacher brought the drawings to the administration the day after the drawings were made, the drawings were of scenes depicting stick figures from video games the student plays regularly. In fact, the student's drawings contained the names of the video games in question and school administrators confirmed the likeness of the student's drawings to the video games. Again, the drawings did not show the student holding a gun to another student's head or indicate in any way that the student intended to shoot anyone at Lewisville Middle or otherwise."
Dr. Bain maintains the district's investigation found the student never posed a threat.
"In this case, school and District administrators reviewed the drawings; talked with the student's teacher and other adults at the school familiar with the student; talked with the student; and talked with the student's parent," the superintendent said.
"After confirming that the drawings did not constitute a threat and thus that law enforcement did not need to be notified, the school handled the matter internally in accordance with state and federal law along with School Board policy.
Despite the district's findings, law enforcement charged the student with making student threats.
Chester County Sheriff's Office Maj. Dwayne Robinson sharply criticized Chester County Schools last week over the situation.
"This isn't out first time," he said. "We've been over this bridge a few times. It's time to burn the bridge."
He questioned why the district didn't immediately call the sheriff's office after the teacher brought a string of concerns and eventually what he described as a disturbing drawing to administrators' attention late last month.
He said investigators only found out about the drawing a day later, after the teacher spoke up to a family member in law enforcement.
