South CarolinaSchool Safety Standards

School Safety Legislation & Resources

South Carolina House Bill 3258 Would Require Districts to Implement Mobile Panic Alert Systems in Schools

“Time equals life:” A South Carolina Senate committee recently advanced legislation, H. 3258, that would require mobile panic alert systems in public schools, also known as Alyssa’s Law.

2022 Model Safe School Checklist

Each South Carolina student has the right to a free and safe education. South Carolina school alert systems are designed to protect the state’s young people while they learn. For generations, students have been taught to line up and walk outside for fire drills. They’ve also avoided windows as they sat down along the walls of interior hallways and covered their heads during tornado drills.

However, nature isn’t the only threat. The South Carolina State Board of Education released its 2022 Model Safe School Checklist on July 12, 2022. In addition to fire and tornado drills, the checklist included bomb threats and active school shooters.

According to South Carolina Law, school districts must perform a fire drill every month. Weather and active shooter/intruder drills are mandated to be conducted twice each year. Each district was encouraged to review its District Comprehensive Safety Plan for different scenarios to make sure South Carolina school safety solutions include plans for:

• Prevention
• Protection
• Mitigation
• Response
• Recovery

South Carolina Coalition for Schools

After multiple tragedies in 2022, The Palmetto State Teachers Association, South Carolina Counseling Association, and South Carolina Association of School Psychologists joined forces with other associations to create the South Carolina Coalition for Schools.

The group created a School Safety Agenda for the 2022-23 academic year. The group’s five beliefs inspired this collection of South Carolina school safety solutions:

• Every child in South Carolina has the right to grow and learn in schools and communities that are free of violence and fear.
• The creation of safe environments for children requires the coordinated and collaborative efforts of diverse groups and individuals.
• The factors that contribute to violence against children are multi-faceted and cannot be solved by any single policy action.
• The work to find policy solutions to keep children safe is urgent and is of critical importance to every South Carolinian.
• The enactment of each policy in our School Safety Policy Agenda holds the potential to be the solution that can save a single child from a single act of violence.

The Board of Education and coalition don’t agree on every proposed remedy, but it’s clear that important steps need to be taken to ensure the health and well-being of the state’s school children.

Crisis Management

South Carolina school safety solutions require a multi-pronged approach:

• Preparedness—an emergency response plan should be developed for all schools. Students, staff members, administrators, and law enforcement officials should be trained to understand what to do when an emergency occurs.
• Response—the FBI recommends a “Run Hide Fight” strategy that includes locking classroom doors to bar a potential shooter from entering.
• Recovery—after a shooting occurs, administrators must decide when to reopen the school, how to serve the emotional needs of students and staff, and how memorials should be handled.

Prevention and Intervention Programs—in addition to a threat-assessment program, districts should embrace anti-bullying education and a tiered approach to discipline that provides mental health care for troubled young people.

Security and Technology

Administrators, teachers, and other staff members should closely monitor access to school grounds. School resource officers provide extra layers of security. While patrolling around the campus on a daily basis, they develop a sense of who belongs on campus and who doesn’t.

The South Carolina Association of School Resource Officers was formed in 1996. Members gather together each year for training on how to handle potentially dangerous situations, so they can more effectively respond to minor and major events on campus.

In addition, some school district officials have considered hiring private security officers to prevent incidents from getting out of control.

In 2018, the South Carolina General Assembly set aside $15 million in lottery money to provide extra equipment for school resource officers. The money also could be used to upgrade South Carolina school safety solutions at buildings with upgrades including but not limited to:door locks

• Door locks
• Security cameras
• Metal detectors
• Lifesaving medical equipment

Grants for South Carolina School Safety Solutions

The U.S. Department of Education’s Project Prevent Grant Program provides funds to local educational agencies impacted by community violence. Grant applications must include

• the severity and magnitude of the problem and the identification of schools to be served
• plans for collaboration with community-based organizations
• activities designed to promote a safer school environment
• evidence-based, culturally and linguistically competent, and developmentally appropriate programs
• a framework for planning, implementation, and sustainability

The DOE also awards School Emergency Response to Violence grants. They provide short-term education-related services to schools recovering from violent or traumatic events. Learn more here.

Small Steps: Tackling the Safety Checklist

According to the 2022 Model Safe School Checklist, administrators should inspect the school grounds on a regular basis to ensure appropriate doors are locked, inside and outside lighting is working properly, and the PA system is ready in case of emergency.

School security isn’t about doing one thing. It’s about doing a lot of small things that add up to protect students and everyone else on campus. See how your school meets the checklist here.

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Clarity in Crisis - Replacing Uncertainty with Coordinated Response

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