York community shares concerns as school district prepares to fire assistant principal

YORK COUNTY, S.C. (WBTV) - The York community was raising concerns amid this week amid news that a high school assistant principal was set to lose his job following a district investigation.

Social media video recently surfaced of an assistant principal at York Comprehensive High School, in which he appeared to be watching an inappropriate video on school property. In the video, Assistant Principal Charles Drakeford appeared to be watching sexually explicit content on his phone.

Drakeford was placed on paid administrative leave as the district conducted an investigation. The district has not shared what its investigation found, saying it cannot discuss personnel matters.

Still, the district announced that Drakeford will be terminated, pending the school board’s approval.

The situation has raised concerns in the community about trust and accountability in schools.

“The trust families place in its schools comes with an obligation that it will not compromise,” Superintendent Dr. Heath Branham said in a statement on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

“Every employee is expected to uphold the professional and ethical standards established by our Board, and those entrusted with leadership have a particular responsibility to model those standards,” Branham said. “When those expectations are not met, we will act decisively and in accordance with Board policy. The safety, well-being, and best interests of our students come first.”

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The people in this community tell WBTV that the expectation is clear. They want schools to be places where students feel safe, and where concerns are taken seriously.

“It’s crazy ... Kids, [they’re] our future. We need to do a little better,” said community member Amy Allen.

“It’s unnerving ... because we shouldn’t have any kind of inappropriate actions going on from people that deal with children,” said community member Boyd England.

WBTV will continue to ask York County School District 1 what steps are being taken to address these concerns.

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