New safety protocol aims to make school safety accessible for students, parents, teachers

Aiken County students are starting off the school year with a new safety protocol in place.

The Aiken County Public School District is beginning to implement the Standard Response Protocol in the classroom and beyond, as teachers, students, parents and law enforcement receive training on this program.

Educators are hoping to familiarize students with the new protocol’s five action words. These words can be used during incidents like weather emergencies, intruders, fires and other threats to personal safety. These keywords include: Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate and Shelter. Each of these are followed by a direct course of action.

“Basically, we wanted to teach a common language across the entire district for when things are not going the way we expected them to go. If there’s any change in our school day, we want our kids not to be so anxious that they’re not knowing what the terminology means,” Superintendent Corey Murphy said. “So, we’re going to start making sure they hear it every day, it’s going to be plastered on all the walls, so whenever something does go out of the norm, out of what we expect, they’ll know exactly what to do. And so it gives them a level of comfort.”

On July 25, teachers, staff and students at J.D. Lever Elementary School put the Standard Response Protocol into action when an incident occurred near the school.

J.D. Lever went into "secure" mode at the recommendation of law enforcement then, as the situation escalated, went into "lockdown," according to a statement from the district's director of communications.

"J.D. Lever’s teachers, staff and students did a wonderful job in following these procedures," Merry Glenne Piccolino said in a statement. "Parents and guardians were notified of the enhanced security procedures and advised to exit the campus and await further instruction regarding afternoon dismissal."

The Standard Response Protocol was created by the I Love U Guys Foundation, which develops crisis response programs used by over 50,000 schools worldwide.

“I Love U Guys Foundation does all their research based off of FBI findings and studies after an incident to develop these protocols,” said Vicky Gaskins, the school district’s director of security and emergency management.

Safety needs are on the minds of many throughout the state and nation in a time when life-threatening incidents — like school shootings — are on the rise. According to data provided by Sandy Hook Promise, more than 338,000 students in the United States have faced gun violence in schools since 1999.

"The 'I Love U Guys' SRP is a nationally-recognized program designed to enhance school safety by providing clear and concise protocols for responding to various emergency situations," the school district said on its website. "By adopting this protocol, we aim to streamline our emergency response procedures and empower our school community with the knowledge and tools necessary to respond effectively in times of crisis."

Aiken County public schools began classes July 22.

“We as Aiken County want to make sure that we are strengthening our safety infrastructure,” Gaskins said.