2023 Partner of the Year Greenville County Sheriff’s Office
Greenville County Schools announced Greenville County Sheriff’s Office as its 2023 Partner of the Year at the annual Salute to Education banquet.
“The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office works closely with Greenville County Schools in many significant ways. Their work with us is important and strategic to ensuring we have the pinnacle of safety in our schools at all times. We are so pleased to announce them as our 2023 Partner of the Year,” shared Greenville County Schools Superintendent Dr. Burke Royster.
In the late 1990s, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office and Greenville County Schools formed the School Enforcement Unit, the only entity of its kind in South Carolina. This unit includes School Resource Officers, zone patrol officers, investigators, weapon detection system technicians, security specialists, drug dogs, crossing guards, and more.
Greenville County Sheriff’s Office dedicates time and resources to Greenville County Schools’ teachers and administrators, providing proactive training and conducting active law enforcement drills on an ongoing basis. The newly launched “Handle with Care” initiative facilitates communication between the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office and Greenville County Schools regarding situations that occur outside of school so that additional support is provided to students and their families in times of need. When Greenville County Schools’ digital content monitoring system detects potential threats, appropriate response protocols are activated, including immediate intervention by the Sheriff’s Office when needed.
These protection, prevention, and response measures enable Greenville County Schools’ students to focus on their academic and personal growth in a safe learning environment.
Sheriff Hobart Lewis was in attendance to receive this award. He shared, “I am so grateful for this honor. It is the men and women who put in the work every day who deserve this award. There is no other county in the state of South Carolina with a program like this. We are so proud to do what we do every day, and to be named the 2023 Greenville County Schools Partner of the Year.”
