It’s been nearly three years since an Ocean Bay Elementary principal was placed on paid administrative leave following charges against her in a related child neglect case.
Since that time, Rebecca Schroyer has received two pay raises that were given to Horry County Schools employees, according schools spokesperson Lisa Bourcier by email.
Ocean Bay Elementary School Principal Rebecca Schroyer announces to students that Ocean Bay Elementary was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2019.
The school board approved a 2% raise for all district employees in 2023 and 2024.
Schroyer was making an annual salary of $143,979 as of 2023, according to the database Govsalaries.com. That amount does not reflect the pay raises. Schroyer’s salary in 2023 was 23% higher than the average principal salary in South Carolina, according to the database.
A message left for what is believed to be a phone number for Schroyer or a family member was not returned.
Schroyer has not been to work and cannot report for work until she is no longer on administrative leave, Bourcier said. The district is waiting for the results of hearing by the South Carolina Department of Education.
Schroyer’s case was referred to the SCDOE for an administrative review of her credentials after her charges were dropped by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
However, a status hearing by the department of education for Schroyer doesn’t appear to have taken place, although an official said previously that such hearings usually take anywhere from three months to up to a year. As of Jan. 14, 2025, Schroyer was not listed among the education department’s orders of disciplinary action.
A message left with the SCDOE regarding when the hearing will take place was not returned.
Schroyer was placed on administrative leave with pay in November 2022.
Schroyer was charged with two counts of failing to report a child neglect allegation for an incident that happened during the 2021-22 school year. Those charges were dismissed on Feb. 28, 2023.
Robert Kittle, communications director with the S.C. Attorney General’s Office, confirmed by email in August 2023 that Schroyer’s charges were dismissed and would not provide any additional information, including why the charges were dropped, stating that by law he could not comment further.
The alleged incident, which happened in February 2022, involved a teacher “putting hand sanitizer in a child’s open wound,” The Sun News previously reported.
Properly reporting suspected child abuse is required by South Carolina’s mandated reporters law, which includes educational professionals.
The case against Schroyer stemmed from charges against Grace McColgan, who was a special education teacher at the same elementary school. McColgan pleaded guilty in July 2023 to charges involving child neglect.
Schroyer has been with Horry County Schools since 2001 and named principal of Ocean Bay Elementary in 2016. She still has her teaching certificate, which was set to expire if not renewed on June 30, 2024, according to personnel files.
Schroyer and Horry County Schools have been named in several lawsuits by parents over the alleged abuse.
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