Number of weapons-related incidents in SC schools reported

By: Rebekah Carter | SCNOW
Published: October 19, 2009

The deadly incident at Carolina Forest High School near Myrtle Beach on Friday is only the most recent in weapons-related situations on South Carolina school campuses.

During the 2008-2009 school year, 117 students were expelled for bringing a non-firearm weapon on the ground of a SC school. An additional 18 students were expelled for having a firearm on campus.

So how does our area shape up with these statistics?

Here’s a break down from the ’08-‘09 school year for counties in the area:

Chesterfield: 0 weapons-related incidents reported.
Darlington: 1 firearm suspension; 14 weapons suspensions.
Dillon: 1 firearm expulsion; 2 weapons suspensions.
Florence: 0 firearm incidents; 1 weapon suspension.
Georgetown: 4 firearm suspensions; 14 weapons suspensions; 2 weapons expulsions.
Horry: 1 firearm suspension; 2 firearm expulsions; 49 weapon suspensions; 1 weapon expulsion.
Marion: 0 firearm incidents; 15 weapons suspensions; 1 weapon expulsion.
Marlboro: 1 firearm expulsion; 1 weapons expulsion.
Williamsburg: 1 firearm incidents; 3 weapons expulsions.

Note: These statistics are for counties as a whole, not for specific school districts.
For district-specific numbers, click here.

Jim Foster with the Dept. of Education says a "weapon" can be classified as anything from a knife, to a rock, to even a pencil. He says anything used with force to harm an individual is classified as a weapon.

It is also important to note the difference in enrollment for these school districts. Based on most-recent numbers from the Dept. of Education, here is the approximate enrollment for the individual counties:

Chesterfield: 7,727
Darlington: 10,701
Dillon: 5,783
Florence: 22,044
Georgetown: 9,644
Horry: 36,139
Marion: 5.297
Marlboro: 4,398
Williamsburg: 5,129