The Aiken County Public School District has added new school resource officers to serve four middle schools.
The new school resource officers were provided through funds from the state legislature and the financial and logistical support from both the Aiken Department of Public Safety and the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, according to a news release for the Aiken County Public School District.
The school resource officers each began in their new positions Monday at New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School, A.L. Corbett Middle School, Schofield Middle School and Leavelle McCampbell Middle School.
The new school resource officers will also provide close support for nearby schools, including Greendale Elementary, Busbee Elementary, Byrd Elementary and others, according to the release.
In order to receive the state funds, school districts were required to apply for a grant through the South Carolina Department of Education, according to the release.
Aiken County schools were notified in September that the county would receive the necessary funds for the four new officers, Tim Yarborough, director of maintenance and operations for the district, said in the release.
“When the opportunity was presented last year by the South Carolina Department of Education for school districts to request funding for additional school resource officers, we certainly wanted to apply for the opportunity," Yarborough said in the release.
Although the grant provided funds for the new officer’s salaries, additional costs for uniforms, training and equipment have been covered by their respective agencies.
“We really appreciate the continued support of our local enforcement agencies,” Yarborough said.
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