After teen is shot off campus, reports detail string of fights at Midlands high school
Lexington County sheriff’s deputies swarmed around Irmo High School earlier this week in response to a shooting at a nearby apartment complex.
Authorities said a teen was shot in the lower body on Monday during a drive-by shooting. The victim is expected to recover.
Deputies increased their presence at Irmo High in part because they believed the shooting might be connected to recent fights at the school. Deputies on Tuesday had a two-fold mission at Irmo High, said sheriff’s Capt. Adam Myrick: to investigate the shooting at the nearby River Oaks Apartments, and to deter any further violence on campus.
Fights and other violence have been common at the St. Andrews Road school this school year, according to records provided by the sheriff’s department.
The department recorded 25 separate reports of fights, assaults and threats related to Irmo High during the fall semester, for an average of more than one a week. The incidents have sparked concerns among both parents and staff.
The number of incidents at Irmo is well ahead of other large Midlands schools. Lower Richland and White Knoll high schools reported the next highest total at 12 assault cases, while Columbia High School had 11, according to the Richland and Lexington county sheriff’s departments. Irmo’s nearby neighbor Dutch Fork High School reported only six.
Lexington High School reported seven through the end of 2021.
The Lexington-Richland 5 school district declined to comment on the law enforcement investigation on Tuesday, but reiterated the district’s commitment to a safe learning environment at Irmo High.
“The main priority of Irmo High School faculty and staff is providing a safe and engaging learning environment for all students,” Irmo High School Principal Robin Hardy said. “We are concerned about the increased disruptions, fighting and safety concerns in our school and community. Irmo is a great school with increased challenges and together will overcome all these challenges.”
The Irmo High administration “maintains and encourages open communication with staff and families to address any concerns about specific situations,” Hardy said in response to questions from The State about staff concerns about violence. She said Superintendent Akil Ross planned to meet with Irmo High School staff on Thursday to address any concerns raised by Tuesday’s incident.
Reports provided to The State show a series of assault cases responded to by school resource officers assigned to Irmo. While the reports detail a string of fights at the school, they don’t indicate whether the fights are related, in part because the names of the participants, all juveniles, were redacted.
But the reports do give an indication of activity throughout the school year. Some involve one student striking out in anger at another, while others document fights that grow to include multiple students, at times leaving teenagers with visible injuries or in need of medical attention. In all, 10 students and one school resource officer were treated for injuries resulting from the incidents.
At one point last semester, Irmo High School had to shut down for a day and switch students to online home learning after multiple teachers called out on Sept. 24. Teachers had expressed concerns about a threatening video posted online by a suspended student, sheriff’s investigators said at the time.
That week, a student reported receiving threatening text messages from an unknown number telling her she would get “jumped” for getting another student kicked out of school.
“Y’all pressed Charges that’s cool because guess what you getting jump (sic) tomorrow,” one text provided to the school resource officer reads. “oh trust me your grandma will get her ass beat too when I see her pick you up.”
It’s unclear if the threatening texts, reported on Sept. 20, caused the fears about a disruption on campus that led to the closure of Irmo High four days later.
In December, Hardy announced she would be stepping down as Irmo High School principal at the end of the school year, four years after she left Columbia’s Hand Middle School to take over the high school. The district said the fighting incidents were not related to Hardy’s departure from the school.
Four incidents were reported in the first weeks of school, between Aug. 23 and Sept. 16, including one that led to a ninth grader being charged with assaulting a teacher.
Within one day on Oct. 11, the school resource officer was called to respond to three different fights at the school involving multiple students. One student had to be taken for X-rays of an injury to her arm. Another student was so combative he was placed in handcuffs after a fight in a hallway that attracted several students and staff. The officer notes he had little time to investigate one incident before he had to respond to another one.
On Nov. 2, a fight broke out on the bus loop that ended with multiple students fighting each other as well as an administrator and the school resource officer who responded to the fight. Five additional law enforcement officers had to be called in to bring the students under control.
It’s not only students who are involved in incidents at Irmo High. On Nov. 23, a group of teachers alerted the school officer to Facebook posts saying that “Parents need to be careful with their students,” “teachers are getting kids arrested on drug charges,” and “teachers need to watch their backs.” The officer and the teachers believed the messages were “not from students but from adults,” the incident report says.
The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said it will continue to monitor activity in the area.
“We will continue to work with the school district office to ensure everybody can stay secure as they learn, visit and work there,” Myrick said.
This story was originally published February 4, 2022 at 11:17 AM.
CORRECTION: Irmo High School Principal Robin Hardy’s upcoming departure from the school is not related to a string of fights there. An earlier version of this story was incorrect. Also, an earlier version of the story incorrectly attributed comments from Hardy to another district official.
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