Officials at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina, confirmed Monday that a confrontation took place between a female student and a school resource officer, who was captured on video flipping the teen over in her chair and dragging her across the classroom.
"The student was told she was under arrest for disturbing school and given instructions which she again refused," Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told NBC affiliate WIS. "The video then shows the student resisting and being arrested by the SRO." A Richland County Sheriff's Department spokesperson said the female student and a male student were both arrested for disturbing the peace. The officer, identified by the department as Ben Fields, has been placed on administrative leave.
In a statement, the Richland Two Black Parents Association said the incident is "unacceptable" and "egregious," and shows "the intolerance that continues to be of issue in Richland School District Two particularly with families and children of color. As we have stated in the past, we stand ready to work in collaboration to address these horrible acts of violence and inequities among our children." District superintendent Debbie Hamm said she is "deeply concerned" by what happened, and the district will "not tolerate any actions that jeopardize the safety of our students." Catherine Garcia
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