S.C. Educators Exposed: The Latest

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by ERIN PARROTT

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With 2026 now well underway, FITSNews is returning to its South Carolina educator misconduct series – taking a look at disciplinary actions handed down by the S.C. State Board of Education (SCSBE) in both January and February of this year against teachers and school officials across the state.

In January 2026, the board considered formal disciplinary action against ten (10) certified educators statewide. Among those cases, one educator received a permanent revocation following a guilty plea to the charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor – while another revocation stemmed from a guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to the permanent revocation order, the board learned the educator – who pleaded guilty on October 18, 2024 to contributing to the delinquency of a minor – was originally arrested on July 26, 2023 on that charge and a solicitation rap. The latter charge was later dismissed as part of a plea deal, and she was sentenced to time served.

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In the second revocation case, the board learned the educator pleaded guilty on April 16, 2025 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine after initially being arrested on December 11, 2020 on a trafficking charge.

Her license was suspended four days later, on December 15, 2020.

In February of 2025, the board considered disciplinary action against two certified educators across South Carolina, as well as one order of reinstatement for an educator whose license was summarily suspended in October of 2025.

According to the suspension orders, the board’s actions this month stem from two educator arrests involving allegations of unlawfully placing a child at risk of harm or willfully abandoning a child, along with criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

The January cases we are tracking involve educators from Lexington County and Aiken County, while February’s cases center on educators affiliated with the S.C. Public Charter School District in Columbia and Polaris Tech Charter School in Ridgeland.

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BRIANNA E. CARPENTER

• Type: Order of Permanent Revocation
• Date: January 6, 2026
• Certificate: 312806
• Allegation: Plead guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
• School: Irmo High School
• District: Lexington County School District 5
• Status: Certificate permanently revoked.

On July 26, 2023, the South Carolina State Board of Education learned that Brianna E. Carpenter – a teacher at Irmo High School in Lexington County – had been arrested for criminal solicitation of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor following allegations of providing a male minor with THC gummies and sexual items. Law enforcement also discovered online communication between Carpenter and the minor.

Carpenter, an educator with more than one year of teaching experience, pleaded guilty on October 18, 2024 to contributing to the delinquency of a minor and was sentenced to time served, with a criminal solicitation of a minor charge dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

The S.C. State Board of Education sent Carpenter a notice via regular and certified mail on November 14, 2025 concerning action against her certificate, followed by a vote to accept the Order of Permanent Revocation on January 6, 2026.

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SARAH MCKINNON

• Type: Order of Revocation
• Date: January 6, 2026
• Certificate: 194037
• Allegation: Plead guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
• School: Mossy Creek Elementary School
• District: Aiken County School District
• Status: Certificate revoked.

On December 11, 2020, the South Carolina State Board of Education learned that Sarah McKinnon was arrested on a trafficking methamphetamine charge while employed at Mossy Creek Elementary School in Aiken County, prompting the board to summarily suspend her educator certificate on December 15, 2020.

McKinnon, who had more than 22 years of experience as an educator, requested a hearing around December 31, 2020 regarding the potential revocation of her certificate, but later withdrew that request and defaulted before the hearing took place.

After considering the evidence presented, the S.C. State Board of Education voted to revoke McKinnon’s educator certificate, effective January 6, 2026.

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RELATED | S.C. EDUCATORS EXPOSED

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ERIN R. WHEELER

• Type: Summary Suspension
• Date: February 9, 2026
• Certificate: 268894
• Allegation: Arrested for unlawfully placing a child at risk of or causing harm or wilfully abandoning a child.
• District: S.C. Public Charter School District
• Status: Certificate summarily suspended pending due process.

On or about December 4, 2025, Erin R. Wheeler was arrested for unlawfully placing a child at risk of or causing harm or wilfully abandoning a child while employed as a special education teacher for the S.C. Public Charter School.

Wheeler, an educator with over 11 years of experience, allegedly followed a child into a bathroom and struck the child in the forehead and upper body, resulting in her arrest. The South Carolina State Board of Education voted to summarily suspend her educator certificate on February 9, 2026.

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DYLAN STEFL

• Type: Summary Suspension
• Date: February 4, 2026
• Certificate: 326746
• Allegation: Arrested for criminal sexual conduct with a minor, 3rd degree.
• School: Polaris Tech Charter School
• Status: Certificate summarily suspended pending due process.

On or about January 30, 2026, Dylan Stefl was arrested for criminal sexual conduct with a minor, 3rd degree, while employed as a teacher at Polaris Tech Charter School in Ridgeland, South Carolina.

According to the suspension order, Stefl – who has less than one year of experience as an educator – is believed by the S.C. State Board of Education to potentially pose a threat to the health, safety and welfare of students due to the serious nature of the misconduct allegation. The board voted to suspend his license on February 4, 2026.

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PRISCILLA MAY DENNIS

• Type: Order of Reinstatement
• Date: February 4, 2026
• Certificate: 282191
• Allegation: Arrested for unlawful conduct towards a child in September 2025.
• School: Estill Middle School
• District: Hampton County School District
• Status: Certificate suspension lifted after all charges were dismissed.

Previously reported by FITSNews, Priscilla May Dennis was arrested in Hampton County on or about September 24, 2025 following allegations of unlawful conduct towards a child. It is alleged that she struck her 13-year-old child in the head and face several times with her closed fist, and the injuries required treatment from EMS personnel.

Dennis, an educator with more than 15 years of experience, was released on a $5,000 bond and had her teaching license suspended by the South Carolina Board of Education on October 15, 2025. After all criminal charges against her were dropped on October 29, 2025, the board voted to lift the suspension of her certificate on February 4, 2026.

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FITSNews will continue its ongoing coverage of disciplinary actions by the S.C. State Board of Education, examining the individuals, institutions, and systemic gaps that enable educator misconduct.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.

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