Parents and community members react to Spring Valley incident

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Spring Valley High School is part of Richland School District Two. The school board was already scheduled to meet Tuesday night. They voted to postpone an item to make time to address what happened at the high school Monday. Parents made it clear over the course of about an hour during the board meeting. “The student resource officer had a right to remove the student from the classroom,” Richland Two parent Connie Streater says. “I absolutely agree with that. However, his methods for removing the child were absolutely excessive and unreasonable.” A different Spring Valley parent disagrees. “That student was given ample opportunity to do the right thing and she chose not to do that.” Frustrated parents, former students and community members, outlining their interpretation of what went wrong. “We are in South Carolina. We lead the nation in domestic violence. What message does it send to the young men in the classroom; it’s okay to slam my woman around like that?” James Flowers, a law enforcement officer and instructor of criminal justice, says excessive use of force is never acceptable. “If I hear one more person say it’s the responsibility of this girl to not get body slammed it’s just gonna kill me,” Flowers says. Spring Valley parent Angela Brooks says after Monday’s incident, her son is scared to go to school. And she says Officer Fields is not the only one at fault. ‘I haven’t heard anybody say what they’re gonna do to the administration,” Brooks says. “What they’re gonna do to the teacher who stood there and watched this happen.” An educator with more than 40 years experience says there’s a deeply-rooted issue that’s come to light here; teachers not having the tools to deescalate disobedience before it gets out of control. “Children are designed to challenge you,” Vivian Brackett says. “Conflict is a part of social and emotional growth.” It’s an emotionally-charged issue that the community will be faced with, long after the headlines go away.