SC attorney general takes over child neglect case against HCS principal and teacher
.jpeg "Ocean Bay Elementary School is located at 950 International Dr in Myrtle Beach. The principal and a teacher were arrested Wednesday, Nov. 2.")
The South Carolina Attorney General’s office will handle the case against an Horry County school teacher accused of unlawful conduct towards a child and the principal who allegedly failed to report it.
Horry County Solicitor Jimmy Richardson confirmed Tuesday that the case was transferred after three defense attorney’s requested it, citing a conflict of interest.
“To avoid the appearance of impropriety, I would respectfully request you to accept this case as a conflict case,” Jimmy Richardson wrote to the attorney general’s office on Nov. 25.
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 are still being paid by the school district, although McColgan’s teaching license has been temporarily suspended.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 20.