SCCPSS releases statement on incident between school officer and student at New Hampstead

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System has released a statement after a video showing an incident between a School Resource Officer and a high school student was widely shared on social media.

Recordings of the video have been sent to WTOC and we are working to determine its accuracy.

WTOC has also exclusively spoken to the mother of the student involved in the incident. You can find that story here:

WTOC Exclusive: Mother speaks out after New Hampstead High School SRO incident

Below is the statement from SCCPSS, in full:

On Thursday, November 6, 2025, the School Resource Officer assigned to New Hampstead High School encountered a group of students acting suspiciously while he was on patrol. The officer had reason to believe the students were concealing a vape device and instructed them to hand it over. When they refused to comply with the officer’s lawful order, he then directed them to go to the Assistant Principal’s office for further action.

On the way to the AP’s office, one of the students attempted to leave the area and ignored the officer’s command to stop. In an effort to stop him, the officer grabbed the strap of the student’s book bag, but the student slipped off the strap and continued to walk away.

The officer intervened to prevent the student from leaving, directing him up against a stair railing and eventually taking him to the ground before handcuffing him. The student has been charged with:

• Disorderly Conduct
• Obstruction by Hindering a Law Enforcement Officer
• Possession of Tobacco Product by a Minor Under 21 Years of Age

The Board of Education Police Department (BOEPD) is aware that a complaint has been filed in connection with this incident. Both the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System and BOEPD treat all complaints with the utmost seriousness. In accordance with BOEPD standard procedure, an internal investigation on use of force has been initiated and the officer has been reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation.