Spring Valley administrator on paid leave after SRO incident

A Spring Valley High School administrator is on paid leave, Richland 2 officials said Saturday, as an investigation is ongoing into an incident involving a school resource officer’s use of force on a student in an incident caught on camera last week.

The student involved in the Monday incident and another female student who filmed it with her cellphone were both arrested and charged with disturbing schools.

Richland 2 spokeswoman Libby Roof said Saturday the students have not been suspended or expelled and have been allowed to return to school.

Roof also said a substitute teacher is currently teaching the math class where, on Monday, Fields was filmed forcefully pulling a female student from her desk and tossing her to the floor after being called in response to a discipline issue. The regular teacher, who was present for the incident, is not on leave, Roof said, without elaborating.

Roof said it is “consistent with the district’s standard procedure when investigations are being conducted” that the administrator is on paid leave.

Neither the administrator nor the teacher who were present in the classroom when Richland County Sheriff’s deputy Ben Fields was called in have been identified by district officials.

Fields was fired by Sheriff Leon Lott on Wednesday.

This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 2:10 PM with the headline "Spring Valley administrator on paid leave after SRO incident."