High-fiving
students has become a daily routine for Sgt. Adrienne Burns. As an officer for
Richmond County School System's Department of School Safety and Security, she
has one concern.
"I
protect them because when I'm at work they are my kids," Sgt. Burns said. "So I am their mother or
their aunt. So I think as that role model I'm supposed to protect them, and I
take that to heart when I come to these schools in Richmond County."
Craig
Houghton is one of 37 elementary schools Sgt. Burns and her team of six police officers
patrol.
After
Richard Roundtree and Patrick Clayton left the department to serve sheriff and
chief deputy in the Richmond County Sheriff's office, two vacancies opened in
the department. And now the school board may fill those positions.
"We
have some excellent; some really dedicated officers that really patrol these
schools that are looking out for our students," said Venus Cain, president of the Richmond County School Board. "So this is just something to
enhance, along with us having a team come in and looking at our safety plans."
In
response to last month's Connecticut Elementary school shooting, school boards
across the CSRA are beefing up their security on campus, putting some parents
at ease.
"I
know they all have safety officers," said Keith Hendry, a Columbia County schools parent. "I think there's one assigned to each of the
high schools, to my knowledge, but I know they're visible. We're friends with
some of them, so so far it's been good. I don't worry too much."
Columbia
County teachers are now supposed to keep their doors locked while school is in
session. And in Aiken County deputies stop by schools giving students that
extra sense of safety, which is a feeling Sgt. Burns hopes her students have
whenever she walks through their school halls.
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