District accepts state safety grant to add window glazing and other perimeter protections

Greenwood 51’s board on Dec. 18 heard an update on recent school-safety investments after the district received a Safe School Grant from the South Carolina Department of Education.

Tommy Clamp, head of district security, said the district previously installed door locks and seven access-control doors and that this year’s award will fund installation of security glazing for windows through National Glazing Solution (NGS). Clamp described three tiers of glazing the vendor offers—tier one, tier two and tier three—saying they are intended to delay forced entry by roughly 2, 6 and 10 minutes respectively. “What we’re trying to do is buy time,” Clamp said, explaining that delay gives law enforcement additional time to arrive on campus.

Clamp said the window screens will be uniform across comparable school entrances and that NGS can begin work during spring break and finish remaining installations over the summer. He also described energy benefits the vendor noted: “the wind screen that we’re looking at reflects like 97% of infrared light and 60% of the heat coming through the window,” which could reduce energy costs.

Board members asked how the tiers would be placed across campuses and whether existing wired glass offered similar protection; Clamp said staff will finalize locations with the vendor and include placement details in a forthcoming board update. The presentation included a referenced figure of about $179,000 for the window-screen award discussed during the meeting’s Q&A.

Officials emphasized that hardware alone is not enough: the board and staff discussed front-office protocols, signage to discourage propping doors, and coordination with school resource officers to ensure access controls function as intended.

The board did not take a formal vote on contracting at the meeting; Clamp said further details on exact placements and timelines will be provided to the board in an update.