Midlands high schools reported 90 assaults last fall. This school had the most fights
A recent fight at Lower Richland High School that ended with two sheriff’s deputies injured is only the latest example of a trend of assaults at the Richland 1 campus this school year.
During the fall semester of 2023, Lower Richland was the scene of 24 fights and assaults, according to reports from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. That was the highest number of such incidents at Midlands high schools this school year, law enforcement data shows.
The State asked for the number of assault calls at high schools in Richland and Lexington counties from the county sheriff’s departments, which provide school resource officers to area schools.
Lower Richland led all schools in assault-related calls, followed close behind by Lexington’s White Knoll High School with 19. Irmo High School had 13, and Richland Northeast had seven.
In total, 90 assault-related incidents on high school campuses in the two counties were reported to law enforcement between August and December of 2023. The calls were spread across 12 high schools, nine in Richland County and three in Lexington County.
Four Richland 2 high schools had at least one assault-related incident last semester, while there were three schools with reported assaults in Richland 1, three in Lexington-Richland 5 and two in Lexington 1.
Compared with the fall semester two years ago, the number of assaults reported at both Lower Richland and White Knoll has increased. In fall 2021, both schools reported 12 assault incidents, The State reported. That same semester, Irmo High School had experienced a string of violence, with 17 reports of fights or assaults.
Richland 1 told The State that Lower Richland Principal Latayna Williams met with each grade at the school on Friday to discuss discipline and expectations of student conduct. The high school is also having more school staff present and visible in hallways and around campus throughout the school day, while school counselors are leading conflict resolution sessions and a behavior interventionist is working with students with discipline referrals on behavior plans.
“We are concerned about the number of assaults that have been reported at Lower Richland High School, but the school is taking proactive measures to address that issue to protect the safety of students and staff and ensure that teaching and learning can take place without disruption,” Richland 1 spokeswoman Karen York said in a statement. “Students are also encouraged to report any potential issues they may see or hear about to a staff member, a school resource officer or another adult to help prevent incidents from occurring.”
In the incident at Lower Richland on March 1, a 16-year-old student attempted rob another student and a fight ensued, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. The students were found fighting outside of the cafeteria during lunchtime around noon, and the two deputies intervened.
The sheriff’s department said the 16-year-old struck one deputy in the face and, while resisting being detained, caused the other deputy to dislocate his shoulder, The State previously reported.
The teen was subdued with a taser, arrested and charged with armed robbery and two counts of assault of a police officer while resisting arrest.
The high school was placed on lockdown during the incident, according to Richland 1. As a precaution, the school was on a “hold” status at about 3 p.m. that day, which means students had to stay where they were at the time of the incident.
HIGH SCHOOL ASSAULT CALLS IN FALL 2023
Lower Richland — 24
White Knoll — 19
Irmo — 13
Richland Northeast — 7
Dutch Fork — 5
Keenan — 5
Spring Valley — 5
Westwood — 5
Columbia — 3
Spring Hill — 2
Lexington — 1
This story was originally published March 11, 2024 at 2:13 PM.
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