The South Carolina State Board of Education (SCDE) decided this week to suspend the educator license of a former Greenville middle school teacher who was arrested earlier this year on child neglect charges.
Amy Haugh, a former middle school science teacher at Sterling School in Greenville, is suspended from teaching until the criminal case against her is closed, the board ruled in an emergency order on Tuesday.
On January 15, Haugh was criminally charged with two felony counts of unlawful child neglect. She was arrested by the Greenville County Sheriff’s Department, according to online records.
Haugh posted a $7,500 personal recognizance bond on the day she was arrested and was released from jail, according to court records.
She was placed on administrative leave following her arrest, but was allowed to resign from the district on April 1, according to the state board.
Haugh is accused of “maliciously causing bodily harm to a child in her custody,” according to arrest warrants. She allegedly “placed the minor at an unreasonable risk of harm by exposing the minor to amphetamines.”
According to arrest warrants, the young child tested positive for amphetamines in his system.
The state board held an emergency hearing on May 11 to suspend Haugh’s license.
“The SCDE has reason to believe that, due to the serious nature of this allegation of misconduct, Ms. Haugh may pose a threat to the health, safety, and welfare of students, who may be under her instruction, and that emergency action is required,” the state board ruled.
According to her online bio, Haugh has been teaching at the Sterling School in Greenville since 2019. She recently moved to Greer, South Carolina from South Florida. She has more than eight years of experience as a teacher.
The state board considered evidence in the case, and decided to suspend Haugh’s teaching license until a due process hearing is held (likely until her trial date).
She faces up to 20 years in prison for the two felonies.
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