Berkeley County Council's STOP School Violence

Berkeley County Council project funding will provide a specialized youth therapist to provide counseling to at risk youth who are struggling with issues; provide for two school social workers to strengthen social services where at-risk children are and connect them to community services; provide survivor simulated training on an ongoing basis to law enforcement, teachers, and school personnel; supply emergency bail-out bags with standard medical kits, communication cards for windows; and begin a pilot assessment, training, and implementation program for SROs, teachers, and school personnel for trainings, development, and implementation standards for threat reporting and assessment protocols. Berkeley County Board of Education is the largest employer in the county, employing more than 3,000 teachers and school personnel; school-aged children in Berkeley County comprise 15.29 percent of the total population (19,278 pupils). Having the ability to provide streamlined training not only to law enforcement but also to teachers and all school personnel on a continuous basis will allow for a comprehensive, systematic approach to the school violence crisis. Berkeley County’s program will reach beyond the student population and connect families to community resources to support individuals who are at risk with mental illness and substance use disorder, reducing the number of school violence situations.