Girl used pepper spray on school bus, deputies say; 21 students taken to hospital

An argument Tuesday morning led to a girl using pepper spray on a Richland County school bus, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies responded to Hard Scrabble Road and Sloan Road at about 8:45 a.m. They found that an ongoing altercation between two students had led to an argument on the bus involving several high schoolers, sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Curtis Wilson said.

After one girl used pepper spray, 21 students were taken to local and area hospitals for observation, Wilson said. Whether the girl was trying to defend herself or attack someone was not immediately clear.

“Obviously, it affected more than one student on that bus,” Wilson said. “Whether it was her intention I don’t know.”

There were no injuries reported, Wilson said.

The bus was headed to Westwood High School when the incident occured, Wilson said.

While having pepper spray is not illegal, Wilson said, whether students are allowed to carry it on buses is a school district matter. Using pepper spray is only legal in defensive situations, he said.

“If you fear for your life and you’re defending your life limb and property, you should be good to go,” Wilson said.

As of Tuesday morning, Wilson said investigators had no indication of a physical fight on the bus.

“We have to look at the video to see what took place,” Wilson said.

Richland School District 2 officials directed all questions to the sheriff’s department while the incident is being investigated.

Though the Richland 2 student handbook for 2016-2017 doesn’t mention pepper spray or mace specifically, it mentions weapons under a section on “serious offenses,” saying:

“The use, possession or distribution of weapons, alcohol and drugs will not be tolerated and may permanently expel students involved in weapons, drug or alcohol offenses.”

The policy also says that “buses are considered an extension of the classroom and student behavior on buses is required to mirror behavior in the classroom.”

This story was originally published August 23, 2016 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Girl used pepper spray on school bus, deputies say; 21 students taken to hospital."