School Safety is a Community-wide Matter!

K-9 article dogs are needed to provide additional safety support for Laurens County School District 55 (LCSD 55) schools. Over the past few weeks, Laurens County School District 55 in South Carolina has expanded its partnership with local law enforcement agencies. Through several planning and brainstorming sessions after two separate incidents of possession of a firearm on school district campuses and the recent tragic shooting in a Greenville County school, it has come to our attention that there is a need in our local community. Both the City of Laurens Police Department and the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office could benefit from the purchase of article dogs. An article dog is trained specifically for firearms detection to find explosives and black powder. The utilization of article dogs and narcotics dogs throughout the school system not only helps locate these items but also helps to deter those who would otherwise bring these items onto our school campuses.

As part of LCSD 55’s continued partnership with both local law enforcement agencies, we are asking the LCSD 55 community to partner with us to provide funding for two article dogs. The utilization of these two K-9s will also extend into the community in the event that a business or industry has a bomb threat, in the retrieval of firearms used during the commission of a crime, during community events like Squealing on the Square, and in various other ways as needed.

The cost of each K-9 is just under $10,000. This includes a fully trained dog, 20 on-site training sessions and lodging for the handler, leashes, and other training materials. Our goal is to provide one K-9 for the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and one for Laurens City Police Department. Any additional funds raised will be directed to gun safety curriculum for students in kindergarten through grade 12, metal detectors, and wands.

For more information please contact Jody Penland, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Services.