SC teacher facing child abuse charges, caught on video punching a student, lawsuit says
A parent of a student connected to a suspected abuse case at Ocean Bay Elementary school filed a lawsuit against the school and the district on Thursday.
The lawsuit, filed by John Doe on behalf of his non-verbal special needs daughter, states that on Oct. 20 an outside investigator informed Doe that around Feb. 1, Ocean Bay Elementary special education teacher Grace McColgan was caught on video punching his daughter.
The lawsuit says the student was under Grace McColgan’s care during that school year.
The suit also says that the incident was reported to Principal Rebecca Schroyer, who failed to take any action to prevent the physical abuse, and allowed the student to remain in the same classroom with McColgan despite knowing she was unfit to be a teacher.
Attorneys Tiffany K. Buffkin and Ian D. Maguire, with Maguire Law Firms, represent the plaintiff in this case.
According to Buffkin, the civil case stem from the same facts of the criminal investigation. This civil case is also about a lack of transparency, Buffkin said.
“The civil suit is obviously requesting damages,” Buffkin said. “But one thing I hope we can accomplish through civil litigation is encourage transparency between the school district and parents.”
Nonverbal students can’t go home and report what happened to them, she added.
McColgan is currently facing criminal charges for six counts of unlawful conduct towards a child stemming from the 2021-22 school year. Schroyer is facing two counts of failing to report child abuse or neglect.
Both McColgan and Schroyer, who were arrested in November, have since been placed on administrative leave from the school district.
The South Carolina Board of Education has temporarily suspended McColgan’s teaching certificate pending the investigation.
The school district is also paying for Principal Schroyer’s legal fees.
The parent is asking for any and all damages under the South Carolina Tort Claims Act, which limits the amount of liability a government entity has in cases of personal injury.
The Horry County School District does not comment on pending litigation, according to spokesperson Lisa Bourcier.
This article was updated on Jan. 13 at 12:15 p.m.
This story was originally published January 13, 2023 at 11:41 AM.