IRMO, S.C. Aug 30 2022 In an effort to keep both students and staff safe, Lexington-Richland School District 5 is considering a policy change that would allow select members of its security team to be armed with firearms on its campuses.

The district’s board approved the first reading of the policy this week, which would allow staffers who are current or former Class 1 law enforcement officers to carry concealed weapons.

Lexington-Richland 5 employs 2,600 staffers, only three of whom would be qualified to carry guns under this new policy.

Those three staff members currently work as safety and security officers within the district.

Dr. Akil Ross, Lexington-Richland 5 Superintendent, said that these safety officers are often the first to respond to incidents. He believes it is important to give them the ability to defend themselves, and others.

“This is an extra layer,” he said. “To have an additional group that you don’t know where they are, that they’re always moving, that they’re assigned to each geographical location within our school district, that gives us an advantage.”

One important distinction, according to Ross, is that this would not be in lieu of school resource officers, but in addition to them.

Currently four elementary schools do not have a uniformed deputy on campus.

Those schools are Chapin Elementary, Leaphart Elementary, Seven Oaks Elementary and Nursery Road Elementary.

However, the district has contracted with Security Solutions of America, a private security firm, to provide armed guards at those schools for the time being.

This company had to get certified to carry weapons through the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and according to the district, that certification was not completed by the first day of school last week.

Because of this, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department provided additional personnel to cover these four elementary schools for two days until the security company was fully certified.

Lexington-Richland 5′s contract with Security Solutions of America is for one year.

Ross said the district may consider continuing utilizing those armed guards after the district is fully staffed with SROs.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to release them even when fully equipped with SROs,” Ross said.

If the plan is approved, Ross said this would provide three layers of security: an SRO at each school, armed guards through Security Solutions of America, and potentially the three security employees.

“You can never in these day and times say that we’ve done enough to be safe,” he said. “There’s always something else we can do and so we’re going to explore all those options.”

The district has been actively working to harden security in the months since the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

“We are constantly reviewing and monitoring our safety and security plans,” Ross said. “Once you have one, it is constantly under review.”

Ross said the district worked closely with Chief Mark Keel of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to draft this plan.

Keel recommended that the three safety officers receive updated marksmanship training.

Lexington-Richland 5′s attorneys and SLED’s attorneys also reviewed this policy, Ross said.

“There was a time as a superintendent the hardest decision I had to make was closing a school due to snow,” he said. “Now it’s can I go to bed knowing that I did everything possible to ensure that all students and staff are safe? Giving these students and these teachers this extra layer of protection, I believe that allows us to answer that question that we’ve done everything.”

The proposal is expected to get a second reading on September 22, which means these security staffers could be armed by the end of next month.

WIS

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