SC suspended principal won’t start school year with students as criminal charges pending

A former special education teacher will take over as interim principal at Ocean Bay Elementary School while criminal charges against its suspended leader are pending.

Last year, principal Rebecca Schroyer was charged with two counts of failing to report child neglect — a misdemeanor charge that carries a penalty of six months in prison and a $500 fine. She is still on administrative leave with pay, according to the school district.

Megan Acre, an assistant principal, will serve as interim principal for the following academic year, Horry County School District spokesperson Lisa Bourcier said.

Acre became the assistant principal at Ocean Bay Elementary in 2016, following several years in the classroom as a special education teacher, according to the school district. She came from River Oaks Elementary and Kingston Elementary, teaching third and fourth grade as well.

Mark Porter, the executive director for elementary schools, provided oversight for the elementary school following Schroyer’s arrest in November.

The South Carolina Attorney General is prosecuting Schroyer’s case. A court date has not been set, according to the public index.

Schroyer still has her teaching certificate, which will expire if not renewed on June 30, 2024, according to personnel files.

Special ed teacher to appear in court

Special education teacher Grace McColgan, who is facing six counts of child neglect, will appear in court on Thursday for a “plea/second appearance,” court records say.

McColgan is accused of striking three male students with an open hand on two separate occasions after they kept their heads on a table. An arrest warrant said McColgan also put hand sanitizer in a child’s open wound.

Both Schroyer and McColgan were arrested on Nov. 2 last year.

This story was originally published July 12, 2023 at 5:00 AM.