COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina sheriff says he acted swiftly but carefully in firing a school resource officer caught on video flipping a disruptive student out of her desk and tossing her across the floor. In the wake of the firing, though, questions remain about whether the officer should have been in the classroom in the first place, and where the former deputy goes from here.

The Spring Valley High School student refused to leave the classroom Monday despite being told by a teacher and an administrator to do so, according to Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott. That’s when Senior Deputy Ben Fields was brought in to remove her. She again refused, and Fields told her she was under arrest.

Video shows the deputy flipping the teen backward and then throwing her across the room. At that point, Lott said Wednesday, Fields did not use proper procedure.

“Police officers make mistakes too. They’re human and they need to be held accountable, and that’s what we’ve done with Deputy Ben Fields,” Lott said.

Outrage spread quickly after videos of the white officer arresting the black teenager appeared on the Internet. One question is whether Fields should have been involved in the situation at all, or whether it was a situation that should have been handled by school officials.

“We know important work is ahead of us as we thoughtfully and carefully review the decision-making process that may lead to a school resource officer taking the lead in handling a student disruption,” Richland 2 Superintendent Debbie Hamm said in a statement.

It’s up to school teachers and administrators to deal with disciplinary issues, and a memorandum of agreement delineates the circumstances under which it’s OK for officers to get involved. The school district and sheriff’s department have yet to provide that document after repeated requests.

Lott said Wednesday that both the teacher and vice principal in the classroom at the time told deputies they supported Fields’ actions.

An attorney for Fields, Scott Hayes, said in a statement that the deputy’s actions were justified and lawful.