Suspended ‘whistleblower’ student returns to class — with shaken trust of Horry schools
A Conway High School student whose mother and advocates say was wrongfully suspended for raising concerns about the school on social media is back in class, but tension remains, and her mom believes some damage may never be undone.
Last November, a Snapchat posted by freshman Aniya Owens circulated through the school, sparking her suspension and referral to Horry County’s alternative school, SOAR Academy, after the district deemed she caused “major disruption.”
“I don’t know how this can be fixed with what it’s caused mentally already,” Aniya’s mom, Abbey Owens, told The Sun News just after the suspension.
The initial Snapchat post and investigation
The post wasn’t threatening or violent, Owens said, but instead listed some concerns she had after witnessing drug use and conversations about violence at the school.
“First ppl getting caught smoking blunts in school … NOW F---ING GUNS … y’all b-----es stupid asf … i’m done with conway,” read the post, which was reviewed by The Sun News.
Horry County Schools declined comment on the situation, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Other students had taken screenshots of the post and put their own text on it, which seemed to escalate the situation, Owens said. One post reviewed by The Sun News included text suggesting violence, while another said “We really thuggin at Conway.”
The district concluded its investigation after Aniya admitted making the original post, according to an incident report obtained by The Sun News.
Aniya was then suspended and referred to the alternative school.
“They’re punishing her because of the fact that she was a whistleblower,” local activist Abdullah Mustafa said in December.
Following Aniya’s suspension, Owens filed an appeal with the district.
Aniya was allowed to return to Conway High School last month, according to a notice sent to Owens and reviewed by The Sun News.
Trust rattled for suspended Conway student
Aniya returned to school after serving an out-of-school suspension of more than a month, her mom said. She didn’t spend any time at the alternative school while the appeal was pending, Owens said.
The district declined to confirm the reversal of Aniya’s suspension.
“Due to FERPA, HCS cannot comment on student disciplinary measures,” spokesperson Lisa Bourcier wrote in an email to The Sun News.
Aniya’s record will be cleared since the district’s hearing officer deemed any discipline unnecessary, according to Horry County Schools’ student policy. She will be allowed to make up the work she missed.
Aniya’s return to school was a welcome victory. The 15-year-old, however, is still struggling, her mom said.
Throughout the suspension process, district officials and school resources officers “treated her like a criminal,” Owens told The Sun News in December.
One school resource officer even threatened her with criminal charges, Owens said, though none were filed.
Aniya became “very depressed,” and it was difficult to get her out of bed, Owens said.
The situation has tarnished the family’s relationship with Horry County Schools.
Return to school brings relief, new challenges
Now that she’s back in school and doing things she enjoys such as trying out for the softball team, Owens has seen improvements in her daughter’s mood.
“I could tell a huge weight lifted off of her, all of us really,” Owens said. “She was really excited to be able to go back to school. She likes school, she always has.”
But Aniya’s suspension and alleged treatment by school officials haven’t been forgotten, leaving lasting impacts on her academics and mental health, Owens said.
Aniya is in counseling, though Owens decided to work with someone outside the school system.
“I didn’t want her to feel even more uncomfortable going to school,” Owens said.
Owens worries her daughter won’t speak up now if she has an issue at school.
“There are some teachers there that we know that she can go to, but she doesn’t feel like she can go to the administration at all,” Owens said.
“She feels like if she says something now, there’s a chance that it can get turned around and blamed on her.”
Harsh discipline for Black students continues, advocates say
Advocates such as Mustafa and the late Dameion Fowler of the New Century Justice Network have said Aniya’s punishment raises broader questions about the treatment of students in Horry County, particularly the level and severity of punishment for students of color compared to their white counterparts.
Fowler, who died after a bike accident last week, was integral to Aniya’s case and fought to get her reinstated.
A 2017 Sun News analysis found Black students were referred to the district’s alternative school at six times the rate of white students.
District spokesperson Bourcier said last week the district doesn’t discriminate on the basis of race or any other identifier.
This story was originally published February 9, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
