(Photo by USDOJ)
Sullivan’s Island Elementary School might be getting its own school resource officer. At its May 16 meeting, the Sullivan’s Island Town Council voted unanimously to apply for a grant that would pay most of the cost of having an SRO at the school full-time, though there apparently is a question as to whether the officer would be able to participate in summer programs.
The grant, around $200,000, according to Town Administrator Andy Benke, would come from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. The deadline to apply for the funds is June 30; Benke told Council members the application would be submitted as soon as the Charleston County School District provided the information necessary for its part of the document.
Benke told Council members at the May 16 meeting that he had been informed by Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano that a staffing shortage might force her to pull the current SRO from Sullivan’s Island Elementary School.
“There’s been some talk that they might be able to work it out for another year, but, the last time I talked to her, she was 43 people down on the road and probably more than 55 or so in the jail,” Benke reported to the Council. “It’s a manpower crunch at the Sheriff’s Department.”
Benke explained that the state program offers funds to pay for an SRO in small communities, including salary, fringe benefits, an automobile and some equipment. He said Sullivan’s Island would be responsible to pay for “probably $2,500 to $3,000” for special markings and a light bar on the car and other equipment.
He said he isn’t sure if the state will permit the grant funds to be used to pay an SRO during the summer, when some students participate in Kaleidoscope, a program that offers arts and crafts, games, sports, academic enrichment, guest speakers and field trips.
“We’ve asked the state to clarify that for us,” Benke said.
He pointed out that if the town obtains the grant, the SRO will be a Sullivan’s Island police officer.
According to the Charleston County website, school resource officers play three important roles at schools to which they are assigned: law enforcement, law-related counseling and law-related education.
Sullivan’s Island Council Member Greg Hammond, who did not seek re-election and will be retiring from the Council June 20, voiced his support for the grant at the May 16 meeting.
“We’re a very busy community, and the school is right in the middle of a bunch of beach access,” he said. “We live on a little, sleepy community island, but, with all the public access, it’s incredibly important. I challenge the next Council with putting something in the town ordinance to codify the fact that the school should always have a resource officer available.”
