FOREST ACRES, S.C. — A series of incidents at a Richland County high school have stirred concerns and a response from not just the school system, but law enforcement and a local city.
According to the Richland County Sheriff's Department, deputies were initially called to A.C. Flora High School investigating an image online that appeared to show a student with a weapon on campus. The sheriff's department said the photo turned out to be from a month earlier.
Forest Acres Police added that the person believed to be tied to the photo left campus when confronted which led to a search. But both agencies stressed this incident on Wednesday posed no threat to students and no weapon was found at the school.
It was during this investigation, however, that an unrelated large fight erupted at A.C. Flora. Forest Acres Police were the first to notice the fight and work to break it up, apprehending the students involved. Richland County deputies and the school system are handling this investigation.
The school district later confirmed that several students were involved in fights on Wednesday and confirmed its own investigation as well as another investigation by local investigation.
However, according to the sheriff's department, the concerning issues didn't end there. Another report was made on Thursday regarding threats written on the wall of a bathroom at the school. An investigation resulted in the arrest of a 14-year-old student on Thursday.
The tumultuous day also brought a response from Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott who stressed the importance of a stable learning environment.
“Threats like these disrupt the learning environment that kids need to succeed in school,” Sheriff Lott said.
He also addressed parents directly telling them to discuss the consequences of making false threats.
"We vigorously investigate any threats made to our school and will fully prosecute those responsible," he said.
Forest Acres Police Chief Gene Sealy also said on Thursday that his office was ready to assist in these situations wherever possible.
"Our police department stands ready to assist the Richland County Sheriff’s Office and its school resource officers and Richland County School District One whenever we are needed,” Chief Sealy said.
The mayor of the town, Frank Brunson, echoed this.
“The foundation of Forest Acres begins with our children.” the mayor said. “The safety of our schools is paramount to city council, the chief of police, and all of our law enforcement officers. We take any incident in any part of our community seriously as our reputation as a safe community is valued by all."