Sumter, S.C. (WIS) -The Sumter School District Board held its first official meeting Monday night following the arrests of two district employees last week on assault charges.
A teacher's aide at Lakewood High School was charged with assaulting a special needs student, while a custodian at Bates Middle School faces a separate assault charge.
During the meeting, tensions flared as board member Phil Leventis called for Vice Chairman Brian Alston to recuse himself from any involvement in the situation, citing a potential conflict of interest due to a possible lawsuit.
Leventis referenced Alston attending a community forum, and his taking to social media to ask for a thorough investigation.
"Did you know at that time the family has reached out to us -- we didn't reach out to them -- with a request for a settlement and are currently in the throes of possibly suing the district," Leventis said.
Alston pushed back against the request, denying any prior knowledge of the incident beyond what was publicly available.
"For you to make the allegation that I was privy to information that the board was not privy to -- I believe that I, just like the rest of the community, learned of the incident simultaneously through social media," Alston said.
No action was taken on the recusal request.
While no new details about the incidents were revealed during the meeting, board members expressed differing views on whether they were properly notified.
"You may all agree we were notified, but I'll say this -- we were not notified there was an alleged assault," Alston said.
Board member Brittany English voiced support for Lakewood High School's leadership.
"My heart also goes out to the staff at Lakewood. Leadership -- I'll say this publicly -- you did everything you were supposed to do," English said.
The Sumter County Sheriff's Office said it has no further updates at this time.
The situation has sparked ongoing debate and raised questions about transparency and communication within the district.