The State Board of Education held a special-called meeting on July 12 to update guidelines for ensuring safety in South Carolina schools. Public school districts in South Carolina are required to complete the annual Model Safe School Checklist and submit updated plans to the state Department of Education by Sept. 1 each year. Districts also must work with local law enforcement, and when necessary, state law enforcement agencies in order to ensure that the district has an updated plan in place. 

“Tragedies this past school year have brought school safety to the forefront of the nation’s conscience, but we want to be proactive and ensure we are doing all we can to ensure safety in South Carolina schools,” said Alan Walters, Chair of the State Board of Education. “This checklist is a tool in making sure we keep school safety a priority, work with district leaders to implement changes when needed and coordinate with law enforcement on safety measures. We are pleased with the updates we’ve made and will continue to pursue any means we can to protect students and school staff.”

Among the updates, the Board approved the removal of questions related to capacity assessments and changes in safety protocols caused by COVID-19. The checklist prompts districts to list the name of law enforcement agencies that assisted in updating its “Comprehensive Safety Plan,” to indicate whether schools have processes in place to conduct site assessments, and to identify appropriate internal and external groups with which school safety plans have been shared. Districts must also indicate the number of schools in which lockdown and other drills were completed during the 2021-22 academic year.

“Schools must remain ever vigilant in their work to harden their facilities and safeguard the staff and students who occupy them,” said Virgie Chambers, Deputy Superintendent of District Operations and Support at the SCDE. “This Checklist enables the Department, districts, law enforcement, and community partners to annually assess our collective abilities to prevent, protect, and respond to school threats and other unfortunate events.”