Strand’s Schools Cultivate Stronger Safety Procedures

By Jessica Foster, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Apr. 14–After finding two guns in the bookbags of Horry County students in two weeks, school officials are stepping up safety tactics, including more random searches and looking for a way for students to anonymously report weapons on campus.

The district is asking school administrators to remind students, during assemblies or in small groups, about the consequences of bringing weapons to school and the importance of reporting it when they suspect someone has a weapon, said Edward Boyd, the district’s chief information and accountability officer.

The district wants schools to do more random bookbag and locker searches, but didn’t set a specific number, Boyd said.

Police charged Rick Randolph Timmons, 18, of Little River, Thursday morning with having a gun at North Myrtle Beach High School, where Timmons is a senior.

The incident has prompted a few North Myrtle Beach High School students to be more cautious.

“We always stick together,” said Tequila Livingston, 14, referring to herself and her two cousins, Raven Vaught, 14, and Brittany Stanley, 15.

The three cousins and classmate Lori-Ann Hibbert said school officials should have walk-through metal detectors installed.

“I don’t feel safe and feel threatened because anyone can just walk in the school,” Hibbert, 15, said.

Livingston said she heard that other kids were picking on Timmons.

Vaught said she wondered what Timmons was thinking when he brought the gun to school.

“It’s good to tell, in case the gun was loaded and shot someone,” Vaught said.

The gun was not loaded and the student did not have any ammunition, said Teal Britton, spokeswoman for Horry County Schools.

Two weeks ago, Myrtle Beach High School senior Damien Singleton, 18, accidentally shot himself in the leg with a gun during class.

District officials on Thursday expelled Singleton for at least one year.

Timmons is suspended and faces expulsion, said Britton.

As the school district examines its safety policies, the school board also has taken action.

It decided a few months ago to hire someone to look at the school district’s discipline and safety issues, and work with school resource officers to make improvements.

“Safety is not something that just bubbles on our radar screen as a result of this happening,” said school board Chairman Will Garland about the recent gun incidents. “It’s been a concern.”

He said the decision to hire a new safety official came after a conference he attended where he heard a presentation about increased gang activity in South Carolina.

The district hasn’t found anyone to fill the spot, but whomever it hires should have some expertise in recognizing gang activities, Garland said.

He doesn’t know of any gangs in Horry County schools, but “we just want to be ahead of the curve on this one for sure,” he said.

Horry County school district officials are looking into a Web-based way for students to anonymously report weapons on campus, Boyd said.

Now, students who want to report a weapon must tell a teacher or administrator.

Garland said he thinks an anonymous reporting system would help.

“Usually if there’s a knife or a weapon or something like that on campus, more than one person is going to know about it. It’s the nature of kids to talk,” Garland said.

Georgetown County

The Georgetown County School District examined its own safety policies and procedures after the shooting at Myrtle Beach High School, said Superintendent Randy Dozier.

The district decided to increase the presence of teachers and other staff during lunch, in the hallways and in the restrooms, Dozier said.

“We’re trying to be more visible,” he said.

The frequency of lockdown drills and school use of drug-sniffing dogs from the sheriff’s office and private contractors has also been increased, Dozier said. Some of the dogs can also detect gunpowder, he said.

Before the two Horry County gun incidents, the dogs were brought in about once a quarter. Now they will be coming about once a month to search various schools, inside and in parking lots, Dozier said.

While the district does not have a districtwide bookbag policy, it has the right to search any schoolbag, Dozier said.

He said most schools have created or reviewed lockdown procedures since the Myrtle Beach High shooting and more are planned after students return from spring break Monday.

The district had already begun looking at adding more security cameras and lighting to several schools before the two incidents as part of its budget process.

Students have been encouraged to report weapons, Dozier said, since the district finalized its anti-bullying policy in January.

Across the state

Jim Foster, spokesman for the state Education Department, said state education officials are optimistic that new legislation that forced districts this school year to develop anti-bullying policies will help students be safer in schools.

He said it seems students statewide are reporting weapons more, and that’s one reason why fewer students are bringing them to school.

No students were suspended or expelled in Horry County for having guns during fall 2006, the most recent data available from the state education department.

During the 2005-2006 school year, 13 students were suspended for firearms violations and none were expelled. In 2004-2005, there was one suspension and no expulsions for guns on campus.

Suspension is the exclusion of a student from school and school activities for no more than ten school days for any one offense, according to school district policy.

Expulsion means the complete denial of school services for the period of time specified in the expulsion decision.

In South Carolina, the number of students expelled for bringing a gun to school has decreased from 43 in the 2000-2001 school year to 26 last school year, according to the state education department. School districts expelled 15 students in fall 2006.

By state law, students who bring a gun to school must be expelled for one year, but the district superintendent can change that punishment on a case-by-case basis.

Foster said he thinks the best way to get weapons out of schools is to make sure students report weapons violations.

Since shootings such as the one at Columbine High in Colorado, students have been more willing to come forward with information, he said.

“Kids 10 years ago weren’t as likely to tell on their friends, and now they are,” Foster said.

“No law, no piece of legislation will have the same effect as the kids doing what they’re doing.”

Staff writers Janelle Frost and Aliana Ramos contributed to this report.

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At a glance

The number of students expelled for bringing guns to school.

Horry County

*2006-2007 — 0

2005-2006 — 0

2004-2005 — 0

South Carolina

*2006-2007 — 15

2005-2006 — 26

2004-2005 — 30

2003-2004 — 26

2002-2003 — 27

2001-2002 — 34

2000-2001 — 43

*Only includes the fall semester, the most recent data available.

Source: S.C. Department of Education

Contact JESSICA FOSTER at 626-0351 or jfoster@thesunnews.com [mailto:jfoster@thesunnews.com].

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

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