All Mount Pleasant elementary schools, including Oceanside Academy, will now have a school resource officer on campus. The change began on Monday in response to recent school violence across the country.
"From our response to our preparation, we felt like we were good but we were being asked by parents, what about our elementary schools and just given what's happen in our nation," said Mayor Will Haynie. "We haven't seen any increase threats in Mount Pleasant and we're very glad of that."
The choice was made by Mount Pleasant town council. Haynie said they're currently paying for it out of the overtime budget, which will cost between $800,000 and $900,000. He said they hope to make it a permanent thing, striving to remove any fear from people's minds.
"Now that school resource officer is going to be in that school every day," Haynie said. "They're going to be there when the children come in the morning and they'll be there when parents pick them up in the afternoon."
The Mount Pleasant Police Department said the resource officers are not being re-assigned from other duties. They are working in these schools as an off-duty assignment.