SC school board says assault at FCA camp involving students ‘will not be swept under the rug’

CLINTON, S.C. (WIS) - School officials in South Carolina provided a new statement after a video surfaced of an assault involving students at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp.

The Board of Trustees of the School District of Pickens County said Tuesday that it was made aware of a July 7 incident that occurred during a camp held at Presbyterian College.

WIS obtained video of the incident on Monday showing an assault that involved students from D.W. Daniel High School. The footage first surfaced on social media over the weekend.

WARNING: THE CONTENT IN THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL VIEWERS. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

In its statement, the board said the assault captured on video resulted in one student being injured and criminal charges for several others. The board also said the matter is being addressed by administrators and law enforcement.

“The board expects the administration not only to continue working cooperatively with Laurens County law enforcement, but also to continue internally investigating the matter from the top down to include staff, student, and programmatic issues,” the board said. “This incident will not be swept under the rug, and all appropriate corrective and disciplinary actions will be taken.”

Officials also said that, due to the students being minors, they cannot publicly release specific details regarding disciplinary action under federal law. That said, the board also said that all students involved “will be disciplined, at both the school and athletic levels; sanctions may differ based on individual involvement.”

The Moorhead Lefevre Law Firm and the Kyle J. White Law Firm released a joint statement Monday on behalf of the victim’s family, saying the victim was beaten by football players from D.W. Daniel High School.

The FCA camp was a school-sponsored event, with the organization renting out Presbyterian’s campus.

Presbyterian said following an initial investigation, campus police referred the case to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and the 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. No Presbyterian students or staff were involved.

In a previous statement, the School District of Pickens County said it was following its own district guidelines and athletic policy to cooperate through the legal process.

“We want to emphasize that we fully recognize the seriousness of an altercation of this nature. While we are committed to helping our students learn and grow from their mistakes, we are also ensuring that appropriate consequences are administered in line with district policy and the law,” the district said Sunday.

The district also said it was aware of “multiple factors and perspectives” regarding the incident and that it is committed “to a thorough and fair review of this situation, as well as an investigation of the football program as a whole.”

District officials added that they cannot provide specific details about students involved or disciplinary actions due to federal student privacy laws, specifically citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

The FCA said it took immediate action when learning about the incident and sent those involved home.

“Their behavior falls unacceptably short of our standards of integrity, service, teamwork and excellence that FCA expects of all participants and has no place in our community,“ the organization said in a statement provided to WIS on Monday.

The 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said Monday that it is monitoring the situation and working closely with DJJ and other law enforcement agencies. WIS has reached out to DJJ for more information or further comment.

The victim’s attorneys said they are also investigating potential similar incidents involving D.W. Daniel High School or Presbyterian College.

This is a developing story. Stay with WIS News 10 for updates.

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