Volunteers in county hunt absent students

COLUMBIA --- Volunteers are fanning out in Greenville neighborhoods to find high school students who haven't shown up for school.

State Superintendent Jim Rex joined teams of Greenville administrators and local residents Saturday to visit students who haven't reported to school.

The students will be asked to enroll and will receive free school supplies.

Tuesday was the first day of class in Greenville County.

Organizers say about 160 volunteers are trying to track down dozens of students who should be attending three high schools.

The home visits are a project of Graduate Greenville, a community effort to reduce dropout rates.

Last year, the group focused on two schools and successfully brought back 13 students.

COLUMBIA --- A veteran Corrections Department employee is seeking $5 million in a federal lawsuit that claims agency officials retaliated against her for reporting corruption to state senators.

Linda Dunlap is suing prisons Director Jon Ozmint and the agency's director of health services, Russell Campbell, claiming they violated her free speech rights, The State newspaper reported Saturday.

An agency spokesman did not immediately return a message seeking comment Saturday. Ms. Dunlap's attorney has declined to comment.

Ms. Dunlap's lawsuit accuses the officials of ruthless retaliation that left her with "no hope of advancement in rank or pay."

According to the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Columbia, Ms. Dunlap told state senators about deficient health care services, discriminatory hiring and employment practices, employees breaking the law, and cover-ups of unethical actions.

The lawsuit said Ms. Dunlap initially told agency officials, including Mr. Ozmint and Mr. Campbell, of her concerns, then went to senators when nothing was done.

Ms. Dunlap has worked in the agency for three decades and as a health services manager since 1987, the suit said.