Security funds? South Carolina private, charter, public schools revisit security options in wake of Minneapolis shooting

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster had planned an announcement regarding armed School Resource Officers (SROs) in every state school for Aug. 27 – the day a shooter killed two children and injured 17 others at a Minneapolis Catholic school.

“We just got out of that meeting, and then the atrocity at Minneapolis happened,” Adam Crisp, COO of several Signal security franchises, told FOX Carolina. “We sat down with our team when that happened and made sure that our security was doing what they needed to do.”

As safety concerns grow nationwide, private and charter institutions as well as their public-school counterparts are considering all options. The Minneapolis tragedy occurred after the Minnesota Catholic Conference made multiple requests to state officials for security funds in 2022 and 2023, according to the National Catholic Register.

“Our prayers go out to Annunciation Catholic School: that could [have been] Presbyterian Academy,” said Dr. Rob Brown, head of school at the K-12 private Christian school First Presbyterian Academy (FPA).

“Safety and security has certainly become more at the forefront of our thinking as school leaders than it was when I started 20-plus years ago. We didn’t have to think about ballistic material on windows or doors.”

‘It’s important for us to steward our resources well’

Unlike charter schools – which can apply for government security grants – South Carolina’s private schools get little to no state funding, Crisp explained.

“If you’re going to send your child to a private school, some of that money is allocated to their tuition,” he said. “Some of that needs to go towards the security.”

As a result, several private schools have turned to donations to bolster their safety features. Brown points to FPA’s Armor Fund as one example, which will help provide ballistic shields for the school’s windows.

“Grants and funding that would provide for us to have those off-duty deputies on our campus, so that we’re not having to provide the funding ourselves as a private school, would be extremely beneficial,” he said.

“It’s important for us to steward our resources well, to reflect carefully when situations occur, so we can keep our students as safe as possible.”

Additionally, churches hosting private schools can apply for federal funding through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.

“The intent is to integrate nonprofit preparedness activities with broader state and local preparedness efforts,” the grant’s website reads. “It is also designed to promote coordination and collaboration in emergency preparedness activities among public and private community representatives, as well as state and local government agencies.”

Another option involves equipping educators – such as the current bill, S. 269, under consideration in South Carolina’s state legislature.

The legislation would provide funding for teachers to learn SRO techniques voluntarily “so that they’re trained and armed,” said State Rep. Jordan Pace, R-Berkeley County.

“A sheep dog is the colloquial term for this,” he told FOX Carolina. “A sheep dog protects the sheep, but they also blend in.”