Substitute teacher threatens to kill her class, according to an LCSD report

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - A substitute teacher is no longer employed through Lexington School District One (L1) after a traumatizing event at White Knoll Elementary School on Thursday.

According to a Lexington County Sheriff’s Department (LCSD) report, the substitute threatened to grab her fifth-grade students by the neck and kill them.

“My grandson couldn’t even go to school today because he was so upset,” said Terry Nine, the grandmother of a fifth grader.

Nine is one of several guardians livid by the substitute’s behavior. Her grandson is one of several students claiming the individual cursed at them and made racially insensitive comments.

A spokesperson for L1 told WIS the individual had been employed by the district since December 2022.

Parents and students who spoke with WIS had never heard of the substitute until Wednesday. She reportedly threatened her class on Thursday.

L1 said some of the students came to the office and reported the substitute’s comments to the faculty.

“Administrators and school counselors met with the students to help

calm them down and reassure them that they were safe. Parents of

students who were in the class received personal phone calls shortly after the incident occurred,” said L1 in an email to parents on Thursday.

The district said the substitute grabbed her personal belongings and left campus before law enforcement arrived.

Following the incident, guardians are demanding more vetting among substitute teachers.

“When I drop off my children at school, I want to make sure that they’re safe. They trust me to make sure that they’re safe. And if I can’t do that as a parent, then how is the school going to do the same? I think the extra measures should be taken at this point,” said Nora Smith, the mother of an 11-year-old student.

L1 deferred all questions on the active investigation to LCSD. The district confirmed the former substitute is banned from all district property.

LCSD and L1′s investigation into Thursday’s incident is ongoing.

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