District reports $251,000 safety grant, new locks and a scaled reunification drill

Tommy Clamp delivered the district’s safety update to the Board of Trustees, saying the district was awarded a $251,000 state safety grant last year that was used for camera expansion, access-control key-fob systems and new door locks. “That $251,000 went toward camera expansion, Access Control and door locks,” Clamp said, and staff reported locksmith work on middle- and high-school doors to ensure doors lock on closure.

Clamp described safety training for staff (mandated reporter procedures, stop-the-bleed, CPR and scenario exercises), the introduction of a digital hall-pass system at the high school to limit simultaneous restroom departures, and a scaled reunification exercise that simulated a shooting response to test district command and emergency-management coordination. He said the drill used paper students for the exercise to avoid placing students at risk and that lessons learned included pacing the reunification timeline.

Clamp also said the district had applied for another safety grant and hoped to fund items including window film/screens and cameras; the amount was discussed in the meeting but not finalized — the presenter said, “I’m not sure the exact amount … I put 220,000 I thought,” indicating uncertainty about the figure. The update noted increased visible security presence at football games and a spike in social-media threats that proved unfounded after coordination with Greenwood County law enforcement.

The board thanked members of the safety and administrative teams for their work. The update was informational; no formal policy changes or votes followed at this meeting.