Horry County schools work to improve portable classroom safety

By: Elise Olson/WBTW TV-13 | SCNow
Published: November 12, 2007

While some students are waiting for Burgess Elementary School to open its doors, kids are attending classes in 26 outside portables, behind St. James Elementary.

While they're convenient for now, officials say they'd prefer to have every student inside the school building.

Eddie Rodelsperger, Chief Construction Management officer for Horry County schools says, "In certain situations, it becomes difficult to lock down and secure portable classrooms in a manner that we do in a permanent facility. The district has a security personnel. We're looking at better ways to be able to do that so we guarantee the safety of those children."

In the meantime, Burgess Elementary School principal Donna Hooks says the school's put its own security measures in place. "We put some procedures in place before we ever moved in. We have a fence that surrounds the perimeter that helps with security purposes. Also, how I place the children strategically in the portables helps with security. The older children are on the outside and the back. With the smaller children in the middle. We also, anytime any children go in the building for restroom and anything like that, we make sure another child goes with them for safety purposes,” said Hooks.

At schools like Burgess Elementary School, principals and assistants frequently walk the sidewalks of portable outside units, looking for anyone suspicious.

Another concern for housing students in outside portables is severe weather. “Tornados, hurricanes, those type of things certainly those amenities aren't built to the same standard that our permanent facilities are,” said Rodelsperger.

When it comes down to it, school leaders say temporary facilities are meant to be temporary and don't match up to the permanent facilities.