LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — An 11-year-old male who attends Pelion Middle School has been charged with threatening a student after deputies determined he referred to killing another student Friday according to the Lexington County Sheriff Department.
Lexington One communications officer Mary Beth Hill said on Friday, October 4, at dismissal, a Pelion Middle School assistant principal attempted to keep an 11-year-old sixth-grade male Pelion Middle School student from getting into a fight.
The student was upset because a 12-year-old seventh-grade male student had put his hands around the neck of one of his friends and made a direct threat about that student.
Acting in accordance with Board Policy and district procedure, administrators immediately filed an incident report with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department through the SRO, contacted the student’s parent/guardian and suspended the student while he waits for an expulsion hearing with the district’s hearing officer.
A Lexington County deputy interviewed the student, whose name will not be released because he’s under the age of 18, at the school before releasing him to the custody of his parents.
In May of 2018, an amendment to the S.C. Code of Laws created the new crime “Student Threats” (Section 16-17-425). This amendment made it unlawful for a “student of a school or college in this state to make threats, to take the life of, or to inflict bodily harm upon another by using any form of communication whatsoever.” School officials must report any student threats.
As a result of the suspension, the student is not allowed on any Lexington District One property or at any events. This is standard operating procedure.
The student will appear in Lexington County Family Court at a later date.
The district encourages students and their parents to report any safety concerns to a school administrator, School Resource Officer, school counselor, teacher or other employee. The district also has a Tip Line (803-636-8317) which students, parents and others can use to report safety concerns anonymously. Students can access the Tip Line online, by telephone, by texting information or by emailing details of your concern to 1607@alert1.us.com
