SC education board issues ruling on former Myrtle Beach area principal. What they said
The South Carolina Board of Education has ruled on the case of a former Ocean Bay Elementary School principal nearly three years since she was placed on administrative leave following her involvement in a related child neglect case.
The state board ruled on April 1, 2025, to issue an order of public reprimand to Rebecca M. Schroyer.
Schroyer faced the possible suspension of her state educator certificate after she was charged with two counts of failing to report a child neglect allegation for an incident that happened during the 2021-22 school year. Those charges were dismissed on Feb. 28, 2023, and the case was turned over to the state board.
Schroyer waived her right to a hearing and reached the alternate resolution. The board accepted the public reprimand after considering the evidence, according to records.
Schroyer was placed on administrative leave with pay by the Horry County Schools District in November 2022.
It is unclear with the recent ruling if Schroyer will return to a principal position within the district.
The school district “acknowledges the recent decision made by the South Carolina Board of Education in reference to Rebecca Schroyer,” according to an email from district spokesperson Lisa Bourcier. Bourcier said the information is being reviewed by our Human Resources Department.
A notice of public reprimand is sent only to the school district and is an alternative to disciplinary actions, according to the state board.
Since her administrative leave, Schroyer has received two pay raises that were given to Horry County Schools employees, according to Bourcier.
The school board approved a 2% raise for all district employees in 2023 and 2024.
Schroyer was making an annual salary of $143,979 as of 2023, according to the database Govsalaries.com. That amount does not reflect the pay raises. Schroyer’s salary in 2023 was 23% higher than the average principal salary in South Carolina, according to the database.
The S.C. Attorney General’s Office dismissed Schroyer’s charges in August 2023 without providing any additional information.
The alleged incident, which happened in February 2022, involved a teacher “putting hand sanitizer in a child’s open wound,” The Sun News previously reported.
Properly reporting suspected child abuse is required by South Carolina’s mandated reporters law, which includes educational professionals.
The case against Schroyer stemmed from charges against Grace McColgan, who was a special education teacher at the same elementary school. McColgan pleaded guilty in July 2023 to charges involving child neglect.
Schroyer has been with Horry County Schools since 2001 and named principal of Ocean Bay Elementary in 2016. She still has her teaching certificate, which was set to expire if not renewed on June 30, 2024, according to personnel files.
