Hundreds of educators and law enforcement officers gathered in West Columbia for a day-long training on threat assessment and prevention in schools.
WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. — Hundreds of educators, law enforcement officers and school safety professionals attended the first statewide School Safety and Security Symposium on Oct. 20, 2026, according to the S.C. Department of Education.
The day-long event was held at the Lexington Two Performing Arts Center and focused on threat assessment, prevention and school safety coordination, the department said.
State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver, FBI Columbia Field Office Special Agent in Charge Anish Shukla and U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling took part in the symposium, according to the department.
The sessions examined how threats develop, how risks are evaluated, and how schools and law enforcement agencies can coordinate to intervene before violence occurs, the department said.
“South Carolina has made significant investments in school safety. The Department created an Office of Safe Schools and strengthened security through technology, training, school mapping, and other improvements across our state. Those efforts matter, but no program, tool, or piece of equipment can replace the relationships, trust, professional judgment, and experience that law enforcement brings to the mission of keeping students safe. Every conversation, every lesson shared, and every partnership strengthened here today enhances our collective ability to recognize risk, intervene early, and keep South Carolina schools safe,” Weaver said.
“We all share the sacred duty of protecting our children against threats they may face in and outside the classroom. This Symposium brings together multiple experts so we can share the most up-to-date information about trends, threats, and strategies with those professionals who work with children every day and are entrusted with keeping them safe,” Shukla said.
“Students face new threats and dangers every day, from sextortion to nihilistic violence. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with schools and law enforcement to prosecute these crimes to protect our children,” Stirling said.
Topics addressed at the symposium included threat assessment and management, the Threat Evaluation and Reporting Overview, preventing targeted violence in K-12 schools, nihilistic violent extremism, child exploitation in South Carolina, and active attack response considerations for educators, according to the department.
Representatives from the FBI, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division also delivered presentations during the event, the department said.
Based on a release from S.C. Dept. of Education.
