COLUMBIA, S.C. Federal authorities launched a civil rights investigation on Tuesday into a white deputy's arrest of a black high school student in South Carolina, after video showed him slamming the teenager to the ground and dragging her across a classroom. 
 
 The actions by officer Ben Fields at Spring Valley High School in Columbia on Monday drew swift condemnation after video recordings of the incident went viral and raised fresh concerns over whether the use of police in schools can criminalize behavior once handled by educators. 
 
 For a Reuters TV report on the incident, click here: watch.reuters.tv/mwT 
 
 At a time of heightened scrutiny of use of force by police, particularly against minorities, the president of the South Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said he felt race was a factor in the arrest and called for Fields to be charged with assault. 
 
 Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said he would entrust the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department with leading the criminal probe, with the state law enforcement division assisting. 
 
 "We do not want any issues with the community or those involved having questions concerning conflicts of interest in this investigation," Lott said in a statement. 
 
 A hashtag #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh trended nationwide within hours of the 18-year-old student's arrest, which also garnered attention on Tuesday from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. 
 
 "There is no excuse for violence inside a school," Clinton tweeted. "The #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh is unacceptable —schools should be safe places." 
 
 Fields, who did not reply to an email request for comment, has been placed on administrative duties and barred by Richland School District Two from working in any of its 40 schools during the investigation. 
 
 The deputy joined the sheriff's office in 2004 and its school resource officer program in 2008, according to an agency newsletter. Last November, an elementary school where he also is assigned presented him with a "Culture of Excellence Award." 
 
 Fields "has proven to be an exceptional role model to the students he serves and protects," the newsletter said. 
 
 He also works as the strength and conditioning coach and defensive line coach for Spring Valley High's football team, according to its website. 
 
 One of the pupils who videotaped the arrest told local news station WLTX that Fields was called to the classroom after a student had her cell phone out and refused to hand it over to the teacher. 
 
 When the teen refused Fields' request to move from her seat, things quickly turned physical, said the student witness, Tony Robinson Jr. 
 
 A video shows Fields approaching the sitting girl, wrapping his arm under her chin and flipping her desk with her in it. 
 
 Fields then drags her from the chair and tosses her on the floor, as students look on, before handcuffing her. 
 
 "It was definitely a scary experience," Robinson told WLTX. 
 
 The girl, who did not appear to resist or argue, was arrested for "disturbing school" and released to her family, sheriff's Lieutenant Curtis Wilson said. 
 
 A founding member of the Richland Two Black Parents Association said the group was saddened but not surprised by the encounter in a school district that in the past two decades has transformed from being predominantly white to majority black. 
 
 The parents association, which has 5,700 members after being formed a year ago, has called for a Justice Department probe into what it says are long-standing discriminatory practices by the school district, said Stephen Gilchrist, who has one son who graduated from Spring Valley High and another attending now. 
 
 Gilchrist said the district has a legacy of expelling and suspending large numbers of African-American students, who make up nearly 59 percent of the district's 27,500 pupils. 
 
 A school spokeswoman did not respond to Gilchrist's claim. 
 
 "We don't want this to be about just this officer," Gilchrist said. "There is much more going on that has helped create a culture of discrimination within this district." 
 
 Court records show Fields has been named as a defendant in two federal lawsuits, most recently in 2013 in a case that claims he "unfairly and recklessly targets African-American students with allegations of gang membership and criminal gang activity." A jury trial is set for Jan. 27 in Columbia. 
 
 In a 2007 case, a jury decided in favor of Fields and another deputy accused by a Columbia couple of unreasonable and excessive force during an investigation of a noise complaint. 
 
 Lawsuit documents said Fields' "unprovoked anger escalated to the point that he grabbed plaintiff Carlos Martin, slammed him to the ground, cuffed him, began kicking him and chemically maced him until his clothing was drenched and the contents of the can of mace was depleted." 
 
 (Additional reporting by Harriet McLeod in Charleston, South Carolina and Suzannah Gonzales in New York; Writing by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by James Dalgleish) ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. 
 
 / Updated By Tim Stelloh and Tracy Connor 
 
 The FBI has been asked to investigate an incident at a South Carolina high school Monday in which a police officer appeared to body slam a female student and drag her across a classroom. 
 
 The confrontation, captured on cellphone video at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C., has drawn intense criticism on social media, from the school district's Black Parents Association — the student is African-American — and the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, which called the deputy’s actions “egregious.” 
 
 "There is no justification whatsoever for treating a child like this,” the ACLU said in a statement. 
 
 In a news conference, a spokesman for the Richland County Sheriff's Department, Curtis Wilson, identified the deputy in the video as Ben Fields, one of two school resource officers assigned to Spring Valley. Fields had been placed on administrative duty pending an internal investigation, Wilson said, adding that the officer was declining interview requests. 
 
 Fields, who is white, is named as a defendant in a 2013 federal lawsuit that claims he “unfairly and recklessly targets African-American students with allegations of gang membership and criminal gang activity.” 
 
 The plaintiff in the suit, Ashton James Reese, was expelled from Spring Valley after Fields said that he was a gang member who had taken part in a “huge gang fight.” 
 
 In the lawsuit, Reese denied that he had ever been involved in a gang. 
 
 Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott did not attend the news conference — he was out of town, Wilson said — but Lott had watched the video and was "disturbed." 
 
 Lott "has questions like everybody else," Wilson told reporters. "He wants answers to those questions." 
 
 Wilson confirmed that Lott placed to a call Monday to Dave Thomas, the Special Agent in charge of the FBI for South Carolina, to request an independent investigation of the incident. Lott followed up Tuesday morning with a formal written request to Thomas and U.S. Attorney William Nettles. 
 
 A male student at Spring Valley told NBC News that the girl had ignored requests by the teacher to go to a “discipline office.” The officer then entered the classroom and asked if she would go on her own or if he had to make her, according to the student. 
 
 When the student refused to leave, Lott told NBC affiliate WIS earlier Monday, the officer “was requested to take action.” 
 
 She was told that she was under arrest, but again refused to leave the classroom, Lott told the station. “The video then shows the student resisting and being arrested.” 
 
 In a statement, school district superintendent Debbie Hamm said the district “is deeply concerned” about the confrontation. 
 
 “Student safety is and always will be the District’s top priority,” Hamm said. “The District will not tolerate any actions that jeopardize the safety of our students.” 
 
 Hamm added that the district is working “closely” with the sheriff’s department to “conduct a thorough and complete investigation.” 
 
 “Pending the outcome of the investigation, the District has directed that the school resource officer not return to any school in the District,” Hamm said. 
 
 In a statement, the Richland Black Parents Association said they were "heartbroken as this is just another example of the intolerance that continues to be of issue in Richland School District Two particularly with families and children of color." ||||| The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is investigating an incident between a school resource officer and a female student at Spring Valley High School on Monday, after a video showing a confrontation was posted online. 
 
 The female student and a male student were arrested for disturbing the peace, said Richland County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lt. Curtis Wilson. The resource officer, Senior Deputy Ben Fields, has been placed on administrative duties with pay pending the investigation’s results, according to Wilson. 
 
 While Fields will work at the Sheriff’s Department, he won’t be performing any duties at area schools. In a statement, the Richland 2 school district said it had “directed the school resource officer not return to any school in the district.” 
 
 The video shows Fields approach the female student seated in a desk. The resource officer proceeds to place his left hand on the female student’s left arm, before putting his right arm around her neck. Fields then flips the desk over, with the student still seated, before spinning it around and forcibly removing the student and trying to restrain her at the front of the classroom. 
 
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 Wilson said no one was injured in the incident – neither the students nor Fields. 
 
 Wilson said prior to what is shown in the video, the female student was asked to leave the classroom and refused. Wilson said that was when the resource officer was called in. 
 
 Wilson said the Sheriff’s Department is in the process of determining what happened. That investigation is being handled internally, including the department’s Internal Affairs unit. 
 
 He said the male student has been detained, while the female student has been turned over to her parents. 
 
 Calls to Spring Valley High School weren’t answered, but Richland 2 Superintendent Debbie Hamm released a statement about the incident. 
 
 Student safety is and always will be the district’s top priority. The district will not tolerate any actions that jeopardize the safety of our students. Debbie Hamm, Richland 2 Superintendent 
 
 “Our district is deeply concerned about an incident that occurred at Spring Valley High School today. The incident took place between a school resource officer employed by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and a student. ... 
 
 “Student safety is and always will be the district’s top priority,” Hamm said. “The district will not tolerate any actions that jeopardize the safety of our students.” 
 
 At a news conference, Wilson said Sheriff Leon Lott is asking for patience while the incident is investigated. 
 
 “Sheriff Leon Lott is out of town attending a law enforcement conference at this point, but did see the video, and was very disturbed by what he saw,” Wilson said. “As a matter of fact, he has questions just like everybody else does. He wants answers to those questions. Once he has those, he will address those.” 
 
 Sheriff Leon Lott ... did see the video, and was very disturbed by what he saw. Lt. Curtis Wilson, Richland County spokesman 
 
 Hamm said the school and district administrators have begun an investigation into the incident. Wilson said the Sheriff’s Department and the school district will come together to take appropriate action once investigation is complete. 
 
 “We are working closely and in full cooperation with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department to conduct a thorough and complete investigation,” said Hamm. 
 
 Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin issued a statement calling for an independent investigation. 
 
 We cannot and will not accept this kind of behavior from any law enforcement officer. Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin 
 
 “Though this incident involved a Richland County Sheriffs Deputy and not an officer with the Columbia Police Department, we cannot and will not accept this kind of behavior from any law enforcement officer and I firmly believe that we need an independent investigation to get to the bottom of this incident and see that justice is done,” Benjamin said, who’s seeking a transparent and swift investigation. “I have spoken with the Sheriff to express my concerns and he understands the gravity of this matter and assures me that it will be dealt with promptly.” 
 
 Spring Valley High School has two resource officers, and Wilson said another officer will be appointed to assume Fields’ duties during the investigation. 
 
 There is no justification whatsoever for treating a child like this.” Victoria Middleton, executive director of the ACLU of South Carolina 
 
 “There is no justification whatsoever for treating a child like this,” said Victoria Middleton, executive director of the ACLU of South Carolina. “Regardless of the reason for the officer’s actions, such egregious use of force – against young people who are sitting in their classrooms – is outrageous. School should be a place to learn and grow, not a place to be brutalized. 
 
 “We must take action to address the criminalization of children in South Carolina, especially at school.” 
 
 Echoing those sentiments was SC Sen. Joel Lourie, D-Richland, a former Spring Valley student. 
 
 “I have watched with horror the disturbing video from Spring Valley high school today. As the father of two children, including a daughter, my thoughts and prayers are with the young lady, her family and the entire Richland 2 community who are all severely hurting right now. I cannot imagine what could have led to such a violent response from the law enforcement officer,” said Lourie. 
 
 The police officer should be fired and the police department should be sued. #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh pic.twitter.com/yOsptB2jlx — Rev Jesse Jackson Sr (@RevJJackson) October 27, 2015 
 
 The story has drawn national attention and reaction. On Twitter, Rev. Jesse Jackson wrote, “The police officer should be fired and the police department should be sued.” 
 
 Staff writer Glen Luke Flanagan contributed to this report.
– A police officer in Columbia, SC, can be seen throwing a girl to the ground and dragging her across a high school classroom in a video that even the local sheriff admits is disturbing. After the video went viral on Monday, resource officer Ben Fields was shifted to administrative duties pending an investigation, the State reports, and the school district says Fields has been told "not to return to any school in the district." A Richland County Sheriff's Department spokesman says the girl, who was still seated when Fields flipped her desk over, was arrested for disturbing the peace. A fellow Spring Valley High School student tells NBC News that the officer was called in after the girl refused a request to leave the classroom. The girl shows no sign of resistance during the video, and in a longer version, Fields can be heard threatening to arrest a student who objected, reports Reuters. A sheriff's office spokesman tells the State that the sheriff has seen the video and "was very disturbed by what he saw." NBC reports that a 2013 lawsuit accused Fields, who is white, of "unfairly and recklessly" targeting "African-American students with allegations of gang membership and criminal gang activity." Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin issued a statement calling the officer's behavior unacceptable and asking for an independent investigation, the State reports.