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Beaufort County proposes Class-3 School Resource Officer program to expand SRO coverage at elementary schools
Summary
County law enforcement and school officials introduced a Class-3 School Resource Officer training program — an eight-week localized syllabus approved by the state training council — intended to recruit retired military, teachers and others to staff elementary schools; sponsors said they hope to start the first class in June.
Beaufort County officials described a proposed Class-3 School Resource Officer (SRO) training program intended to increase SRO coverage in county schools, especially elementary schools.
County training staff presented an eight-week Class-3 syllabus crafted to allow local training (so candidates can remain in their homes during instruction) and to attract applicants such as retired military, retired teachers and other qualified community members. Program leads said they sent the syllabus to the state training academy and the South Carolina Training Council approved it.
Presenters described Class-3 SROs as uniformed, armed positions with arrest powers equivalent to other law-enforcement officers on school grounds, and said the roles are not security-only posts but full law-enforcement positions carrying training and oversight responsibilities. The program’s stated goals are to place SROs in elementary schools and other campuses lacking full-time certified officers and to build a cross-jurisdictional network of SROs across city and county agencies.
Program sponsors said they would like to start the first class in June and that pay and benefits would be provided; a figure of roughly $45,000 starting pay for positions was cited during discussion. County law-enforcement officials emphasized mentoring and safety benefits for young students and encouraged interested applicants to contact local agency hiring portals for details and application instructions.
Officials said they would post program information on municipal and sheriff’s-office websites and expected recruitment to focus on retirees and others seeking stable schedules compatible with school calendars.
No formal vote or formal action was recorded; the discussion was presented as a staff/committee report and request for public awareness and recruitment.
