Hampton County District Two's Superintendent Martin Wright speaks on record regarding a recent article published by the Associated Press.
Hampton County School District 2 Superintendent Martin Wright issued the following statement Wednesday to the Hampton County community following the publication of an Associated Press article, “A clash over sex assaults at a South Carolina middle school: Did they happen,” which was published on May 8 and reposted by The State newspaper and the Post & Courier newspaper:
“In February 2013, Hampton County School District 2 received a report that students of both genders were engaging in sexual activity in the girls’ bathroom in the gymnasium of Estill Middle School. The District, after communicating with the Hampton County Sheriff’s Department, including the school resource officer assigned to Estill Middle School, conducted an investigation into the matter by interviewing students and followed up with a second round of interviews with the students and their parents or guardians. The District’s investigation resulted in no disciplinary action by the District due to inconsistent stories among the students allegedly involved and a lack of evidence indicating that the alleged behavior occurred. The matter was subsequently turned over to the Hampton County Sheriff’s Department, but it does not appear any charges were ever filed, presumably due to lack of evidence.
Hampton County School District 2 has policies which prohibit sexual harassment or any other improper conduct between students. We want all parents to know that student safety has been, and always will be, a top priority for Hampton School District 2. Our teachers, counselors, and administrators continue to remind our students that any conduct or comments which make students feel uncomfortable, should be reported. If, at any time, a comment or an action makes a student feel uncomfortable at school, the student can report the issue to a teacher, counselor or administrator. If the student reports an issue to a parent, we ask that parent notify us. If a parent feels the circumstances require the notification of law enforcement, then please notify law enforcement as well.
In short, the safety of our children requires vigilance on everyone’s part – administrators, teachers, counselors, parents, community members, law enforcement and anyone else concerned with our children’s safety. As this is a legal matter, we will not comment further at this time.”