Four parents in Richland County School District Two have filed lawsuits against the district, alleging negligence and claiming that their special needs children were abused by staff at Bookman Road Elementary in 2023. The parents assert that their non-verbal four-year-olds were subjected to physical abuse, threats, and humiliation by staff members who were supposed to protect them. Despite evidence of abuse, the lawsuits claim that the district was slow to act, leaving the staff members in question in their positions for some time. The lawsuits allege that Richland Two failed to supervise its staff adequately and lacked proper policies and procedures to prevent such abuse. While the district declined to comment on the pending litigation, it confirmed that two of the employees named in the lawsuits are still employed, while the third has resigned. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department stated that there is no active criminal investigation into the matter, but the audio recording in question will be shared with law enforcement.
