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by WILL FOLKS
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A South Carolina mother in the Upstate region of the Palmetto State is accusing her son’s government-run school of illegally concealing his gender confusion from her and her husband – and then launching a baseless child services investigation against them because they refused to embrace it.
“This happened to my family,” the mother warned. “It could happen to yours.”
According to Heather Babcock of Duncan, S.C., the drama began on February 13, 2026 when one of her child’s teachers at Beech Springs Middle School – part of Spartanburg County School District Five – submitted a report with the S.C. Department of Social Services (SCDSS) labeling the 14-year-old boy a “transgender female” and accusing his parents of being “unsupportive.”
Not only that, a teacher at the school accused Babcock of being “verbally and mentally abusive” toward her son and claimed she and her husband failed to seek treatment for his persistent health issues – which, according to the report, prompted “concern for his mental wellbeing.”
The parents were subsequently accused of “mental injury and medical neglect.”
SCDSS began an investigation the next day – February 14, 2026.
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Within five days, SCDSS concluded the allegations against the Babcocks had been deemed “category II unfounded,” meaning there was not “a preponderance of evidence” that the child was abused or neglected.
According to a post on Babcock’s Facebook page, the gender confusion began more than a year ago when her son began leaving home in jeans only to “change into girls’ clothing that a friend brought for him.”
Before she picked her son up from school each day, “he would change back into his jeans,” according to her Facebook post.
“This wasn’t occasional,” Babcock wrote. “This was a pattern. This required multiple clothing changes, bathroom trips, coordination with another student, and deliberate concealment from parents.”
One teacher witnessed these wardrobe changes in 2025 and informed Babcock and her husband.
“This particular teacher did the right thing,” Babcock noted. “She called me. She notified the parent as required by law. We took action to get him help. But here’s my question: How did NO OTHER TEACHER notice this pattern for over a year? Someone had to see it. Multiple staff members had to see it. But only THIS teacher called me.”
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RELATED | S.C. EDUCATION CHIEF ISSUES GUIDANCE
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Act 203 of 2024 makes it illegal for any employee at a government-run school to “encourage or coerce a minor to withhold from the minor’s parent or legal guardian the fact that the minor’s perception of his or her gender is inconsistent with his or her sex.”
The same act makes it illegal for any school employee to “withhold from a minor’s parent or legal guardian information related to the minor’s perception that his or her gender is inconsistent with his or her sex.”
In February, Babcock decided to cut her child’s hair – which allegedly prompted him to have an extended conversation with his teacher. During that conversation, Babcock said he “told her everything: that I won’t let him have long hair, that I don’t approve of him identifying as a girl, everything he was upset about.”
Despite the statutory reporting requirement, Babcock said her son’s teacher not only failed to inform her or her husband about what was happening – she reported her and her husband to child services.
“She didn’t call me,” Babcock wrote. “She called DSS. She filed a report with false allegations – allegations that were disproven and closed unfounded in five days.”
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Babcock promptly withdrew her child from the school and filed formal complaints with both the district and the S.C. Department of Education (SCDE).
“I refused to send my child back to a school that had been secretly facilitating gender presentation changes for over a year, that had a teacher spend ten minutes listening to gender-related distress and then called the state instead of the parents, in direct violation of South Carolina law,” she wrote.
According to a response from Beech Springs’ principal, Ashley Williams, the referral of Babcock and her husband to child services was “appropriate” – part of the school’s “mandated reporter requirements under South Carolina law.” Yet despite the school’s apparent failure to follow mandated parental reporting requirements related to gender confusion, Williams insisted in her email to Babcock that district employees “followed applicable South Carolina statutes related to gender identity.”
“I believe other parents deserve to know this is happening in our schools,” Babcock wrote. “My son is safe now. He’s homeschooled and thriving. His thoughts are clearer. He’s doing well. But I will NOT stay silent while a school violates state law and faces zero consequences.”
Keep it tuned to FITSNews as we keep tabs on the SCDE review of Babcock’s complaint and any legal action that may be forthcoming from this situation…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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1 comment
I’m glad you are bringing this to the attention of parents. Schools are going to far. They are confusing our children with things that children shouldn’t be thinking about. They are causing depression in our youth and leaving the parents to clean up their mess. Stand your ground!!!