SDOC’s SRO Program wins State Award

The School District of Oconee County’s (SDOC) School Resource Officer’s (SRO) program will receive The 2017 South Carolina Exemplary School Resource Officer’s Program Award given by the Moving Forward Together National Summit Planning Team. Through a vigorous vetting process the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission selected the Oconee County Program as one of only two state programs to be recognized. The primary purpose of the Moving Forward Together National Summit is to improve race relations and to strengthen positive relations between African-Americans, Latinos and other people of color with the institutions entrusted to advance, educate, nurture, protect and serve all citizens. The Summit convenes in Columbia on June 12, and 13, at the Metropolitan Convention Center. The awards program and celebration will take place on Tuesday, June 13. The Summit emerged from an incident that took place in 2015, at Spring Valley High School, which involved a violent classroom confrontation between a black female student and a white School Resource Officer. As you know, the video image of this unfortunate incident made international news. The South Carolina Caucus of Black School Board Members teamed up with Chairwoman Joyce Dickerson, the Richland County Council, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, Inc., to ensure that the incident would be harnessed as a learning-opportunity. Indeed the work of the Caucus, the Chairwoman, the Council, the Sheriff’s Department and BRSE paid-off with an outstanding Summit in 2016. The 2016 Summit provided a safe environment for district/community teams to discuss complex issues surrounding both race relations, and the role of law enforcement, and the community, in educational settings. Teams were able to return to their local districts and communities with ideas to implement. The 2017 Summit will continue to provide a safe environment for district/community teams to discuss complex issues
surrounding both race relations, and the role of law enforcement, and the community, in educational settings. Featured keynote speakers and breakout sessions will allow teams to bring back ideas to discuss and implement in improving race relations and cultural understanding within their schools, with law enforcement and other institutions entrusted to advance, educate, nurture, protect and serve all citizens. Breakout sessions will focus on topics as diverse as, but not limited to, disturbing school’s laws, the role of the Faith Community in race relations, presentations by the Center of Fathers and Families, presentations by the Law Enforcement Community, the Jewish Anti Defamation League, the Muslim Peace and Integration Council of North America, the Mental Health Community and many more timely topics dealing with race and culture.