Lancaster County SC student who slapped teacher in viral TikTok dare may face expulsion
A Lancaster County elementary student accused of slapping a teacher because of a Tik Tok dare will not face criminal charges but could be expelled from school, officials said.
The child was a student at Erwin Elementary School in Lancaster County when the incident happened Friday, said Doug Barfield, spokesman for the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.
“A 10-year-old female student slapped a female teacher on the back of her head during class,” Barfield said in a statement to The Herald.
The sheriff’s office has a school resource officer who investigated, Barfield said. The sheriff’s office decided not to pursue criminal charges in the case or refer to the case to the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice for further action, Barfield said.
“We did not make a referral to DJJ based upon the age of the child, the absence of injury to the teacher, and the course of discipline anticipated by the district,” Barfield told The Herald.
School district to recommend expulsion
The Lancaster County School District said in a Facebook statement the incident was part of the Tik Toke Dare called “Slap a Teacher.”
Lancaster schools Safety and Transportation director Bryan Vaughan told The Herald the school principal and superintendent are recommending the student be expelled from school. School policy is to recommend expulsion for hitting a teacher, Vaughn said.
The district will hold a disciplinary hearing with the student and family, Vaughan said. It remains unclear when that hearing will be.
National problem
The incident prompted Lancaster County schools to issue a warning to students and parents on its Safety and Transportation Facebook page that physical attacks or damage to school property that have happened across America will not be tolerated. Some “devious licks” dares have included vandalism and theft, Lancaster officials said.
Tik Tok is a video app for short form videos that reportedly has more than one billion users worldwide.
The challenges have become such an issue across America in schools that some districts and state law enforcement officials have issued statements warning students and parents about the challenges.
This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 12:22 PM.
