Florence County School District Three has added a school resource officer that will be assigned to Scranton Elementary STEAM Academy and also will be on call for J.C. Lynch Elementary School of STEM and Olanta Creative Arts and Science Magnet School.
Deputy Lamek McMillan of the Florence County Sheriff’s Office will be housed at Scranton Elementary. Deputy McMillian has been with the FCSO since July 2017 and previously worked with the Bishopville Police Department and the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office. He also spent 22 years in the U.S. Army and the Army Reserves. He is a 1995 graduate of Lake City High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from the University of Phoenix.
The district is using a portion of the $2 million budgeted by the state Legislature for providing additional SROs in districts that otherwise would lack the adequate resources to hire their own school resource officers. The funding for the SRO goes directly from the South Carolina Department of Education to the Florence County Sheriff’s Office.
Sixty-seven South Carolina school districts applied for part of the $2 million in added state money in August. Of those, 38 were selected to receive the state money to hire new SROs. Selection was based on need and each district’s taxpaying ability, according to the South Carolina Department of Education.
In addition to being certified law enforcement officers, the SROs receive additional training on how to deal with children and school staff. This training is through the state Criminal Justice Academy, and also focuses on larger safety topics, such as active shooter scenarios.
FCSD3 has four other SROs through the sheriff’s office and the Lake City Police Department.