August 4, 1998

PEELER UNVEILS S.O.S. PLAN TO COMBAT SCHOOL VIOLENCE

Proposal would place a law enforcement officer in every junior, middle, & high school in the state.

Columbia  --   Lieutenant Governor Bob Peeler unveiled an ambitious new plan to place a law enforcement officer in every middle, junior, and high school in the state Tuesday morning at E.L. Wright Middle School in Richland County School District 2.

Flanked by students, educators, and law enforcement officials, Peeler proposed the Safety in Our Schools (S.O.S.) Plan. The S.O.S. Plan would work by taking advantage of the 1998 Safe Schools Act which gives local school districts the option to hire school resource officers who are granted authority by local police departments and Sheriff's Offices. All told, the plan would impact 425 schools and tens of thousands of South Carolina students.

Said Peeler, "As the parent of a daughter who just graduated from public high school, and a son who will be in the 4th grade this fall, I know full well the problems our children face in school. Instead of figuring Algebra problems and piecing together Chemistry formulas, too often children are left to figure out how to get from 6th period to 7th period in one piece. And that's wrong."

The S.O.S. Plan would require a $12,750,000 million commitment in recurring funds from the state of South Carolina. The state would then allocate the funds to local school districts on an annual basis for full implementation and coordination at the local level.

Currently, several South Carolina school districts utilize federal grant money to operate similar programs. While these individual programs have been successful, Peeler argues the width and breadth of their scope is too limited.

"The difference is our S.O.S. Plan comes without Washington strings attached and isn't subject to the whim and caprice of a fickle federal government," said Peeler. "Perhaps most importantly, our plan reaches more than just a select pool of fortunate schools, but instead all South Carolina middle, junior and high schools alike."

Peeler argued through his experience as Chairman of the State Performance Audit Steering Committee that his plan could be funded through existing revenues in state government.

In addition to practical safety and law enforcement benefits, Peeler argues the S.O.S. Plan will provide an invaluable deterrent to school violence and crime. "Make no mistake about it, drug dealers and thugs already frequent the grounds and halls of our schools. Under my plan, a law enforcement officer will, too."