South Carolina district fires security firm fired after a second unattended gun incident
The Beaufort County (S.C.) district has fired the company that provided security in elementary schools after a second incident in which guard left a gun unattended in a bathroom.
The Hilton Head Island Packet reports that a guard from GuardOne Security left a gun unattended in a staff bathroom at Hilton Head Island School for Creative Arts and Daufuskie Island School in Hilton Head Island.
An earlier incident took place Feb. 1 at Mossy Oaks Elementary School in Beaufort. In that case, a loaded gun was left unattended for three minutes in an unlocked staff bathroom. The weapon was found by a teacher who reported it to the principal.
A spokesman for GuardOne Security, a division of S&S Management, could not be reached for comment.
The school board approved the almost $1 million contract with the security providerin September 2021. It called for 18 guards for the district’s elementary schools and early childhood centers. Middle and high schools have School Resource Officers assigned to them. The school district says it will be transitioning “swiftly” to a new security company.