August 4, 1998
Safety in Our Schools Proposal
Thank you all for coming out...
Today I'm here to unveil a proposal I sincerely wish was not necessary...
Unfortunately, in recent years a wave of school crime and violence has begun to crash into South Carolina classrooms...
As the parent of a daughter that just graduated from South Carolina 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...
Like so many parents in this day and age, I see firsthand and up-close the very real dilemmas they confront. The many issue above and beyond their schoolwork they must resolve each and every day..
Instead of figuring Algebra problems and piecing together Chemistry formulas, our children are left to figure how to get from 6th period to 7th period in one piece...
Instead of hitting the books, some are hitting their teachers...
And that's wrong.
Schools should be places where students learn and teachers teach. And sanctuaries where each are safe to do both...
Which is precisely why we're here today.
This morning, I am proposing a Safety In Our Schools Plan-- or S.O.S Plan.
This plan will put a law enforcement officer in every public high school, junior high and middle school in the state...
Under the 1998 South Carolina Safe Schools Act we passed this year, these law enforcement officers-- or school resource officers-- will be granted full authority by local police departments and Sheriff's Offices...
Much like Richland County school resource officers provided under current federal grant, these officers will have statewide jurisdiction to arrest anyone who commits a crime in connection with a school activity or school-sponsored event-- from the classroom, to the cafeteria, to the Friday night ball game...
Only, unlike the federal program there will be no telltale Washington strings attached to the S.O.S. Plan. There will be no "here today gone tomorrow" politics as usual. Nor will the program be limited to a select pool of high schools, but instead offered to all South Carolina middle, junior and high schools...
The benefits of the S.O.S. plan are manifold. Not only will these officers help clean up our schools, but their sheer presence will serve as an invaluable deterrent against crime...
What better way to reinforce the rule of law than to have an officer of the law on school grounds?
What better way to constantly remind students that there are real consequences for their actions?
Make no mistake, drug dealers and thugs already frequent the grounds and halls of our schools. Under my plan, law enforcement officers will, too...
Obviously, putting a cop in all South Carolina middle junior and high schools will require a strong commitment from the state. And I'm prepared to lead the fight next year for that commitment.
My program will run from $10 to 12 million dollars a year after we get it up and running...
All told, I think that's a small price to pay for the safety of students, the future of our children, and the advancement of their education...
If I've learned anything as Chairman of the South Carolina Performance Audit, it's that there are plenty of resources in state government that could be much better utilized...
To date our committee has recommended approximately $100 million in government savings. And this fall, we'll make formal recommendations for their legislative implementation and actualization...
I can only speak for myself, but I can think of nothing better than to invest some of these savings in safer schools, stronger education, and a better and brighter education for the children of South Carolina.
We owe our children a safe and sound learning environment.
And working together, I feel confident the S.O.S. Plan will make good on that debt, and help provide one to all our students in public middle, junior and high school alike.