What St. Matthews K-8 parents should know about substitute teacher’s arrest
Calhoun County parents are processing unsettling news after a substitute teacher at St. Matthews K-8 School was arrested on 18 counts of unlawful conduct toward a child, accused of cursing at second-graders and threatening to “shoot them,” according to a report last week by The State.
For families with children at the K-8 campus — or anywhere in the Calhoun County School District — the case raises immediate questions about how the complaint surfaced, how administrators responded and what the district is saying to the community.
Here is what investigators and school officials have shared so far, drawn directly from the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office incident report and arrest warrants.
FULL STORY: SC teacher cursed at 2nd graders and threatened to ‘shoot them’, deputies say
What deputies say happened in the classroom
Dejuan Antoinette Fludd, 71, was charged Tuesday with 18 counts of unlawful conduct toward a child after a group of second-graders reported that she had repeatedly used inappropriate language and made threats while substitute teaching, according to the incident report and arrest warrants.
Deputy Chase Donaldson of the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office wrote that he was called to St. Matthews K-8 on April 22 after the school’s principal contacted law enforcement about a complaint from a second-grade student.
That student told the deputy the substitute made students stand until they were dismissed and told them to “sit your goddamn axx down,” the report says.
After interviewing several other children, Donaldson said he and school administrators learned that Fludd had also told students she would “shoot them.” Other students reported that she talked about lining students up and shooting them or “lighting” them up, according to the report and warrants.
Fludd acknowledged making the statements and engaging in the behavior but told the deputy she was “playing,” the report says.
How the school and district responded
For parents, the chain of events after the complaint reached adults is central to understanding how the situation was handled.
According to the incident report:
- A second-grade student raised concerns that reached the school’s principal.
- The principal contacted the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office.
- A deputy responded to the school on April 22 and interviewed multiple students alongside school administrators.
- Fludd was told her conduct was unacceptable and was removed from campus.
- The school district’s human resources office was notified.
- Charges were filed Tuesday, with Fludd facing 18 counts — one corresponding to alleged conduct toward each child involved.
In a statement, a Calhoun School District spokesperson addressed families directly:
“We understand that situations like this may cause concern. Please know that we are committed to maintaining a safe learning environment and will continue to follow all necessary protocols to protect our students and employees.”
The district has not publicly detailed, in the materials available, the specific steps it is taking beyond removing the substitute from campus and looping in human resources.
About St. Matthews K-8
St. Matthews K-8 — the campus at the center of the case — was formed in 2009-2010 by joining the former Guinyard Elementary School and John Ford Middle School, according to information on the school’s website.
The K-8 model means the same campus serves children from kindergarten through eighth grade, so news involving a second-grade classroom can ripple across families with older siblings on the same school grounds.
What the charges mean
Fludd faces 18 counts of unlawful conduct toward a child. The number of counts reflects the number of students whose alleged exposure to the threats and language was documented by deputies during their interviews at the school.
The arrest warrants specifically cite the alleged threats to “shoot them” and “light them up,” along with the cursing and the requirement that students stand for an extended period, according to the sheriff’s office.
Information that has not yet been made public
Parents searching for more detail should know what the available records do — and do not — include.
The incident report and arrest warrants describe the alleged conduct, the response by the principal and the sheriff’s office, and the district’s general statement. They do not, in the materials reviewed, lay out:
- The specific vetting steps the district takes before placing a substitute in a classroom.
- Any prior history involving the substitute.
- What additional support, if any, is being offered to the second-graders who were interviewed.
- Whether Fludd is being barred from future assignments districtwide, beyond her removal from the St. Matthews campus.
For families who want answers to those specific questions, the district’s statement points to its commitment to “follow all necessary protocols” but does not enumerate them in the public statement issued so far.
What parents can do now
The most concrete facts for Calhoun County families remain these: a student spoke up, the principal called deputies, the substitute was removed from campus the same day investigators arrived, and charges followed within days.
Parents with concerns or questions specific to their child’s classroom can reach out directly to St. Matthews K-8’s administration or the Calhoun County School District’s central office, which received the human resources referral after the April 22 incident.
Based on reporting by Javon Harris and compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. It includes links to full stories that were reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
