WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. — A teacher's aide in West Columbia has been arrested after drugs were found on her on school campus.
West Columbia Police tell News 19 drugs were found on a Lexington Two school campus Thursday, leading to the arrest of 35-year-old Rachelle Brickhouse, a teacher's aide.
According to the incident report from police, this all happened right before 7:30 in the morning.
An administrator and a teacher reported smelling marijuana coming from a classroom. The school resource officer was notified and that person reported also smelling the drug, saying the odor was even stronger coming from a bathroom inside the classroom.
Police and the school officials decided to move the students to the library at that point.
Officers said they found what appeared to be marijuana in a white rolled paper with burnt ends and a lighter inside Brickhouse's purse.
Several parents said they had no idea.
"(I'm) pretty shocked that I haven't heard anything at all from the school about it, personally. Usually the teacher that my son has, she usually keeps in touch with me about everything that's going on with the students," Kimberly Jones, Riverbank Elementary parent said.
Jones is the mother of a kindergartener at the school and said she's frustrated.
"What you do in your personal time I feel like is your business and your risk, but you put my child at risk and all the children at that school at risk when you bring substances like that in that are absolutely not legal or okay for children to be around," Jones said.
Lexington Two said they can't comment right now on the aide's status with the school since this is a pending personnel matter.
Parents from Riverbank are encouraged to reach out to the school's administrators with any concerns or questions.