A third-party worker was removed from Pine Hill Middle School in Hephzibah on Friday after what school officials described as “inappropriate contact or communication.”
The Gist: Pine Hill Middle School administrators removed a worker employed by an outside vendor from the school after learning about the incident. The Richmond County School System has not identified the worker, the company that employed the person or provided details about what happened.
What we know: Principal Gregory Shields told families the individual was not an employee of the Richmond County School System and was instead employed by a third-party vendor. Administrators addressed the situation immediately and removed the person from school grounds.
What’s new: Parents received a letter from Shields on Friday notifying them of the incident. Shields said the behavior was unacceptable and was being handled under district policies.
In context: We know the school system uses outside staffing companies for several school jobs. The district says Global Personnel Solutions provides temporary custodial workers, hall monitors and bus monitors, while Kelly Services provides substitute teachers, paraprofessionals and nutritional assistants. The district has not said which vendor employed the person involved in Friday’s incident.
What we don’t know: School officials have not disclosed the nature of the inappropriate contact or communication or identified the people involved. Officials said federal confidentiality laws prevent them from releasing additional information.
Parents and students can report safety concerns directly to the school or through the Richmond County School System’s anonymous safety tip line at 706-828-1077.
B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
