Hearing in case for suspended Horry County, SC Principal pushed back to late January

A preliminary hearing for an Horry County elementary school principal accused of child neglect was pushed back to mid January on Friday morning.

Rebecca Schroyer, 47, is charged with two counts of failing to report child neglect for incidents that happened during the 2021-22 school year at Ocean Bay Elementary school, where she was principal. She was arrested in early November.

The alleged incidents include a teacher putting hand sanitizer in a child’s open wound, smacking students on the head, and leaving children unattended for hours, according to arrest warrants.

The teacher in question — Grace McColgan, 60, is facing six counts of unlawful conduct towards a child. McColgan was released on a $60,000 bond when she was arrested in November.

Both Schroyer and McColgan are still being paid by the school district, according to Horry County Schools spokesperson Lisa Bourcier. Schroyer’s legal representation, Morgan Martin, is being paid by the school district as well.

The preliminary hearing decides whether or not the state had probable cause for the arrest. In the case of Schroyer, her case was “continued for the state,” chief Magistrate Judge Manuela Clayton said.

Another preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 20, according to the Horry County Public Index.

The preliminary hearing decides “whether sufficient evidence exists to warrant the defendant’s detention and trial,” according to South Carolina law.

The law she’s accused of breaking requires a professional to report suspected child abuse or neglect to either the S.C. Department of Social Services or a local law enforcement agency. A mandatory reporter includes educators, doctors, mental health counselors, foster parents and police.

Ocean Bay Elementary, under Schroyer, was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2019 for academic excellence.

You can report suspected child abuse through the DSS website or by calling the department at 1-888-227-3487.