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Parent tells board weapons have been found at Philip Simmons; asks for daily officer and missing weapon-screeners to be located
Summary
Kristen Scanlon told the board she is aware of two incidents involving firearms at Philip Simmons and said the district reportedly purchased 25 weapon screeners that are not in use at that school. She asked the board to provide at least one officer daily and requested follow-up to unanswered emails.
During the Aug. 18 public-comment period, parent Kristen Scanlon told the Berkeley County Board of Education she is 'sick' of not getting responses to safety concerns and described two incidents at Philip Simmons involving firearms. She said she heard the district had 'invested in 25 weapon screeners' but that they were not present at Philip Simmons and asked why the school did not have a dedicated officer at dismissal on the first day of school.
Scanlon said six friends of her child withdrew from the school, citing safety concerns, and that parents had chosen private schools or transfers for the perceived safety benefit. She told the board: 'We need 1 every single day there... if it prevents 1 life, that's enough.' She asked district staff to respond to her emails and requested follow-up.
Board response and next steps. The meeting record shows no immediate, on-the-record change in policy or a motion to assign additional officers to Philip Simmons during the Aug. 18 meeting. The superintendent did provide an overall enrollment update in his report but did not, in the recorded segments, directly address Scanlon's specific requests. Scanlon asked for a staff response and indicated she would follow up.
Why it matters. Claims of weapons incidents and missing safety technology at a specific school raise operational concerns about how and where safety devices are deployed and whether school-resource-officer coverage meets community expectations. The transcript records the parent’s allegation and request for follow-up but does not document district confirmation of the weapon-screeners claim or a board directive to add daily officer presence at Philip Simmons.
What to watch for. Parents and reporters should request district confirmation about the number and deployment of 'weapon screeners,' the nature of the two incidents referenced, and whether any change to SRO coverage or screening deployment is planned.
