‘If you see something, say something,’ Newman says after Texas tragedy
By Bobby Bryant, Editor
editor@newsandpress.net
After last week’s slaying of 19 children and two teachers at a Texas elementary school, Darlington County Education Superintendent Tim Newman has a plea for the community: “Help us keep watch. … If you see something, please say something.”
On May 24, an 18-year-old gunman attacked a Uvalde, Texas, school, killing 21 inside the building before he was killed by law-enforcement officers. It was the worst school shooting in the United States in almost a decade.
The day after the shooting, Newman issued a statement expressing shock and grief and spelling out some of the steps the Darlington County School District has been taking to avoid a similar tragedy here.
“The Darlington County School District is committed to creating safe spaces for staff and students,” he said.
“ … This is another unfortunate reminder that we cannot take anything for granted, whether that is being vigilant and proactive with our safety measures, or counting our blessings for our families and communities in the Darlington County School District.”
Newman said that “over the past few years, we have increased safety and security measures at all of our campuses and buildings with physical installations and technology advances.”
The district’s security precautions now include:
— Stationing an active-duty officer as a School Resource Officer at all of the district’s campuses, in cooperation with local law-enforcement agencies.
(On April 27, the SRO at Mayo High School in Darlington was not on duty because of staffing problems when shots were fired near the campus, causing a lockdown of the school. Darlington Police Chief Kelvin Washington assured parents that students were never in danger.)
— Hiring an active-duty officer, Darlington Police Department Capt. Kim Nelson, as the district’s Chief Security Coordinator. Nelson “constantly assesses and audits safety and security measures at our campuses to find ways to strengthen those plans,” Newman said.
— Conducting safety drills, both small-scale and large-scale, in conjunction with emergency responders “to ensure that our students and staff know what to do in various situations,” Newman said. “These drills allow us to strengthen weaknesses and improve our ability to respond in a crisis. We are constantly seeking ways to improve safety at our schools.”
But Newman added: “However, we always ask that our community members and our school families continue to help us keep watch. School shooters typically show signs of their intentions well in advance before taking action. If you see something, please say something. Nothing is too unimportant when it comes to keeping our campuses safe. We must work together to keep our families safe in these turbulent times.”
“This is our world today,” Newman said. “We have to work together to make it a better place, a safer place for our children.”
