Emails reveal HCS refused offers to buy weapons detection system for schools

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - Horry County Schools is the third largest school district in South Carolina, yet it remains one of the few districts without a weapons detection system. The district did emphasize it has magnetometers or metal detectors that can detect firearms, knives and other contraband items. But they can only scan students one at a time. Student belongings have to be searched separately.

Days after a middle school student brought a loaded gun to Myrtle Beach Middle School, WMBF Investigates filed a Freedom of Information Act Request to see if school leaders and other staff members had discussed these systems privately.

WMBF News obtained hundreds of pages of emails from Dr. Rick Maxey, the superintendent for Horry County Schools, members of the support services team, school board members and parents. The emails show salespeople from different companies approached HCS about weapons detection systems, as early as June of 2022.

But throughout the last two years, Dr. Maxey, and other leaders and staff members haven’t publicly brought the idea to the school board.

Debbie Edmonds is one of the newest members of the board. She said she only remembers hearing about safety issues in the district just recently.

“I can only imagine how I would feel, so that was a great concern, to want to right that ship if you will, you know to provide an amazing environment where you do have the opportunity to learn because you’re not worried or concerned,” said Edmonds.

Parents are also worried. Meredith Kennedy’s son is a sixth-grade student at Myrtle Beach Middle School. Just days after she learned there was a gun in her child’s school, she sent an email to the entire school board about security.

“We’re very weak in this area, just to be blunt, as a district,” said Kennedy.

Kennedy addressed specific concerns, saying Feb. 6 could “have been prevented with some very simple solutions that were blocked by the board.”

“We asked for number one a weapons detection system, and I, I’ve said this over and over again, I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve said weapons detection system,” said Kennedy.

More than a year after HCS received an email about such a system, another salesperson reached out to school safety and security coordinator David Beaty about getting the Evolv Weapons Detection Systems in schools.

He responded just six minutes after he got the email and said, “It is not something we are interested in exploring at this time.”

But just six months later, in early January of this year, HCS Procurement Officer Robin Strickland asked Spartanburg District 5 about its weapons detection systems.

They use Evolv, along with Greenville County Schools. Georgetown County Schools and Charleston County Schools have an Opengate system, which is another brand of weapons detection systems.

Horry County also does not have any district-wide policies when it comes to clear bags or mandatory bag searches. The district said that’s up to individual principals.

“As you know that, sometimes that doesn’t work either, and we need to look at those processes and see where we can improve on them,” said Lisa Bourcier, the director of strategic communications at HCS.

Bourcier also said the district has delayed getting a weapons detection system because the district was waiting on results from a security audit.

The Board approved the funding for the audit on June 6, 2022. Onsite inspections of all schools and facilities didn’t start until November of 2022. Results were shared with school board members on Feb. 6, 2023, exactly one year before the loaded gun incident.

“We were very fortunate that it wasn’t bigger than it was. And it was big. We have to own the truth. It was big. But thank goodness nothing else happened,” said Edmonds.

A committee HCS formed in response to the incident has met at least three times, according to Bourcier. She could not confirm if the committee will call a special meeting on March 18, which is when we were previously told the committee would have an update on its new security recommendations.

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