SUMMERVILLE — Amid lockdowns and a tragic school shooting in Michigan this week, Dorchester School District 2 Superintendent Joseph Pye and his staff now have the authority to potentially add more security.Â
DD2's school board approved giving Pye and his team the authority to renegotiate the district's security contracts. This includes its relationship with three local law enforcement agencies: the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office and the Summerville and North Charleston police departments.Â
The vote was made unanimous by the school board at a Dec. 2 special called meeting.Â
Chairwoman Gail Hughes said the decision wasn't necessarily in response to the school lockdowns the district saw this week. It was more in response to the growth the district has seen over the past couple of years, she said, adding the goal is to ensure all of the district's students have uniformed police protecting them.Â
"We're always looking at security," Hughes said. "As the district grows we have to add (officers)."Â
On Dec. 1, Gregg Middle School and Summerville High School were placed on a precautionary lockdown after law enforcement and school officials investigated a rumor of a school threat at Gregg Middle.
Summerville High was placed on a lockdown because of its close proximity to Gregg Middle.Â
It was a day after a Michigan student, Ethan Crumbley, 15, made national headlines after being accused of killing four students at Oxford High School during a school shooting incident.Â
Pye was unavailable due to an out-of-town engagement this week. According to Preston Giet, DD2's director of safety and security, the board's decision gives them the opportunity to have discussions around growth.Â
DD2 officials and staff haven't decided how many resource officers they plan to add to schools. The board's vote Dec. 2 was a first step in the process, Giet said.
Giet said a goal is for all of the high schools to have at least 2 school resource officers. They envision adding a third or fourth officer in the future.
During the Dec. 2 meeting, the board announced it is continuing contract negotiations with consulting firms around finding a new superintendent.
Pye announced his retirement, to take effect at the end of the 2021-22 school year, during a Nov. 22 board meeting. He pointed to wanting more family time and pandemic stress as behind his decision.Â
Though the search is still early on, Hughes said the board plans to look at candidates both within and outside the district.Â
"We're looking for [another] Mr. Pye," she said. "We're happy with what we had."Â
