S.C. districts receiving 205 new school resource officers

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S.C. schools will get 205 new school resource officers through funding approved by the General Assembly for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

The officers will be stationed across the state in schools that currently lack them, according to a news release from the S.C. Department of Education. All 81 public school districts, as well as the S.C. Public Charter School District and the Charter Institute at Erskine, will receive funds to add one to four officers, depending on the district’s need, according to the release.

The total funding awarded, based on salary and benefits for a full-time school resource officer provided by local law enforcement agencies, is $11,864,005.

A list school districts and officers to be funded can be found here (.pdf).

“There is no issue more important than the safety and well-being of our students and teachers,” S.C. Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said. “School resource officers are a deterrent to violence within the school building, and their training and response to crime is an invaluable asset that allows educators to focus on instruction. The funding of these 205 officers puts us within reach of meeting our goal for having an SRO in every school.”

The Legislature also provided $2.2 million to hire additional mental health counselors.