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Vance County Schools held a press conference this afternoon to address the December 12 incident involving a school resource officer and a Vance County Middle School student.
In a video widely circulated on social media, a Vance County Sheriff’s Office deputy and a male student can be seen walking down the school’s hallway. The deputy then appears to turn to the student, pick him up, drop him to the ground and then repeat the process before dragging him down the hallway.
The name of the deputy and the student have not been released at this time. In a press release sent earlier today, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office stated that the deputy is no longer employed in its service.
In the press conference, VCS Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson addressed the community and the media by calling the incident an “unacceptable and egregious act.”
“As a school system, as an administrator, as a district, we are disappointed; as a community we are embarrassed. Most of all, we want to express our apologies to our community that this has occurred. We are better than this. This child deserved better than this. No child deserves to be treated in this manner.”
Jackson stated that the school system is providing support to the school, the student and his family and is modifying its agreement with the Vance County Sheriff’s Office in order to review all protocols and procedures.
“We’re seeking the support of the NC Center for Safer Schools,” said Jackson. “We’re going to make sure that we do what is necessary for every single child that attends a school in Vance County to do so in a safe environment without any fear of anything close to this happening.”
