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by WILL FOLKS
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The elected vice chair of Lexington County school district one – which serves nearly 28,000 students in the Midlands region of South Carolina – has resigned her post following her husband’s arrest on numerous child exploitation charges.
Beth Shealy, who was the top vote-getter in the 2022 school board election, informed her colleagues of her decision to step down on Sunday evening (March 29, 2026). A source familiar with Shealy’s resignation letter told FITSNews it referenced her need to pay more attention to her family.
Shealy’s colleagues accepted her resignation “effective immediately.”
“The Board and the district recognize that this is a difficult time for our community,” a statement from board members noted. “We understand the emotions and questions this situation has raised for students, families, employees and community members.”
As we exclusively reported last week, Shealy’s husband – self-styled “Christian singer, songwriter and worship leader” Richard Channing “Chan” Shealy – was arrested early Thursday morning (March 26, 2026) by agents working on behalf of attorney general Alan Wilson’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force.
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The 53-year-old Lexington, S.C. native was charged with three counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor (§16-15-405), a felony punishable by up to ten (10) years in prison and ten counts of third degree sexual exploitation of a minor, also a felony offense punishable by up to ten (10) years on each count.
According to our sources, the material found in Chan Shealy’s possession contained depictions of horrific sexual assaults against minor children. According to Wilson’s office, an ICAC investigator “initiated the case after seeing files shared online.” At that point, a referral was made to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department (LCSD) – which made the arrest.
Chan Shealy was released from jail last week on a $10,000 surety bond. He was ordered to have no unsupervised contact with minor children, no access to the internet (including cell phones with internet access) and not to come within 100 yards of any location where children were gathered.
“Our priority is and will always be the wellbeing of our students,” the board statement added.
Board members said they would “work with local and state election officials regarding the process for filling the vacancy,” and added that they “remain committed to supporting our students, families, and staff and to ensuring our schools continue to be safe, respectful and focused on learning.”
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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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3 comments
Although she is not responsible for the acts of her husband, she is right to resign. She needs to concentrate on her own future and that of her children, if she has any. The husband’s actions are inexcusable.
The lady made a difficult, but honorable, decision. I applaud her fortitude.
Definitely applaud her for making this hard decision.