Earlier today I announced endorsements from eleven South Carolina Sheriffs. I’m honored by this recognition, but the real credit belongs to the many people who have come together around a shared commitment to keeping students safe. School safety isn’t a slogan. It’s the daily work of ensuring teachers can teach, students can learn, and first responders have the tools and information they need when every second counts. I’m grateful for the sheriffs, school resource officers, educators, administrators, first responders, and state leaders who have partnered in this effort to make South Carolina’s schools safer for every child and every educator, Sheriffs Across South Carolina Back Ellen Weaver’s School Safety Agenda COLUMBIA, S.C. — Sheriffs from every corner of South Carolina are standing with State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver, citing her leadership in creating the Safe Schools Office, strengthening emergency preparedness, and advancing a comprehensive approach to protecting students and educators. From creating the Department’s Safe Schools Office and bringing experienced law enforcement professionals into its ranks to investing in school security and advancing policies that help students focus on learning, Weaver has made school safety a priority backed by action, resources, and results. “School safety cannot be a talking point or a checklist. It takes real investment, strong partnerships, and people who understand what it takes to protect a school. Superintendent Weaver has made it clear that keeping students and educators safe is a priority, and she has backed that commitment with meaningful action,” said Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis. Sheriffs Supporting State Superintendent Ellen Weaver Ray Watson, Abbeville County Chad McBride, Anderson County Max Dorsey, Chester County Cambo Streater, Chesterfield County Jody Rowland, Edgefield County Carter Weaver, Georgetown County Hobart Lewis, Greenville County Phillip Thompson, Horry County Jay Koon, Lexington County Bill Rhyne, Spartanburg County Tony Breeden, York County Safe Schools Initiatives Led by Ellen Weaver - Under Superintendent Weaver’s leadership, the State Department of Education has: - Established the Office of Safe Schools, whose work is dedicated exclusively to improving school safety statewide. - Leveraged federal funding to conduct physical security assessments and safety audits of school facilities. - Championed funding for next-generation school mapping technology to help first responders navigate school buildings and improve emergency response during critical incidents. - Secured $20 million annually in each state budget, $80 million total, through a school safety grant program. Those investments have helped schools strengthen security through: - Classroom door locks and improved perimeter security - Bullet-resistant windows and weapons detection systems - Additional physical security enhancements tailored to school needs Weaver recognizes that technology is an important part of school safety, but also that it can become a distraction when misused. Protecting students means paying attention to what happens in the classroom as well as at the front door, which is why she has supported both advanced safety tools and phone-free learning environments through the Free to Focus initiative. What Sheriffs Across South Carolina Are Saying: “The digital school mapping technology Superintendent Weaver has championed gives our deputies and first responders accurate, real-time information on their devices the moment they arrive. When seconds count, that kind of preparation can make the difference.” – Chesterfield County Sheriff Cambo Streater “Creating a dedicated Office of Safe Schools and staffing it with people who understand law enforcement operations has strengthened coordination between our offices and local districts. Superintendent Weaver has treated school safety as a shared responsibility, not just an education-department issue.” – Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver “The physical security assessments and the funding that followed them have given schools concrete ways to harden their buildings while we continue to focus on rapid response. Superintendent Weaver has backed the work with both resources and consistent follow-through.” – Edgefield County Sheriff Jody Rowland “School safety works best when education leaders and law enforcement stay aligned on preparedness, information-sharing, and practical tools. Superintendent Weaver has made that partnership a priority and delivered results our communities can see.” – Abbeville County Sheriff Ray Watson “When we had that serious incident at Chester Park last Halloween, the Department of Education under Superintendent Weaver was responsive and supportive from the start, staying in contact, offering resources, and standing with our schools and deputies. That kind of partnership matters when a community is dealing with something like that.” – Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey

This morning at the State House, we released the 2026 South Carolina School Report Cards—and the results mark historic progress. The South Carolina Surge is real, and it is accelerating. The number of Excellent schools jumped from 270 to 320. More schools than ever earned an Excellent or Good rating. Nearly half of our elementary schools and more than half of our middle schools earned Good or Excellent ratings. Nearly a quarter of elementary schools improved their overall rating this year. High-poverty schools delivered some of the strongest gains in the state, proving once again that ZIP code does not define destiny. Our on-time graduation rate reached 87.5%—the highest in at least a decade. More than eight in ten high schools earned a Good or Excellent rating for College and Career Readiness, and the gap between earning a diploma and graduating prepared has narrowed to its smallest margin in state history. These Report Card gains build on the strongest SC READY results in the assessment’s history. Statewide, 61.3% of students met or exceeded expectations in English Language Arts (up from 53.5% two years ago), and 47.9% did so in math—our strongest math year on record. Third graders are reading on grade level at higher rates than ever, and middle school students are making especially strong progress. None of this happened by accident. It is the direct result of the hard work of South Carolina students, their dedicated teachers, supportive families, and strong school leadership. At the state level, the General Assembly, Governor @henrymcmaster, and I built a true partnership to provide high support for our schools. This is the work we have done together over the past four years—work I promised to deliver when I first ran for this office. We raised starting teacher salaries by more than $10,000 to $50,500. We secured paid parental leave for teachers. We trained more than 20,000 educators in the Science of Reading, restored phonics-based instruction, and launched the Palmetto Math Project. We delivered South Carolina’s largest-ever school choice program through the Education Scholarship Trust Fund so families can choose the option that best fits their child. We invested over $85 million in school safety—resource officers, infrastructure, and mapping technology. We passed the Free to Focus policy to remove cell phones from classrooms and give students the focus and friendships they deserve. And we cut red tape so teachers can spend more time teaching and less time on paperwork. Hope is not passive. It is an action plan. And these results—higher expectations, stronger support, and rising achievement in every corner of our state—show what is possible when we refuse to accept the status quo. If you believe every South Carolina child is capable, creative, and full of God-given purpose—and that poverty is never an excuse for low expectations—please share this good news with your friends and neighbors. Thank you for standing with our students, our teachers, and our families. Together, the best is yet to come.

We are the legacy of amazing American patriots, who bled and fought for our freedom right here on the soil of South Carolina, winning the American Revolution and setting us on a trajectory of freedom and continuous improvement. Read more in this incredible OpEd from our friend and fellow South Carolinian @VanHipp. And don't forget to celebrate America's 250th birthday in 2026!🇺🇸 newsmax.com/vanhipp/educatio…