A former charter school teacher is under investigation by the Columbia Police Department’s (CPD) Special Victim’s Unit (SVU) after being accused of giving drugs and alcohol to a teen student.
Police Chief W. H. ‘Skip’ Holbrook announces that 36-year-old Najla S. Clayton is charged with Two Counts of Unlawful Conduct Toward a Child and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor. Clayton has been released from the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on a $10,000 bond set by a judge.
Clayton allegedly provided marijuana and tobacco to her 16-year-old male student in the presence of her two minor children (ages 6 and 11) while at her Dinwood Circle home. Clayton is also accused of offering marijuana to her 11-year-old daughter while allowing her to smoke a tobacco product.
According to SVU investigators, the allegations stemmed during winter break from December 22, 2023, to January 7, 2024, when Clayton was employed at Clear Dot Charter School on Marion Street.
The suspect’s children divulged the incidents to a family member who notified CPD. The South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) assisted CPD with the investigation.
All persons arrested/charged are presumed innocent until or unless proven guilty in a court of law.