Bills Seek to Improve Safety for South Carolinians as They Worship and Attend Class One bill allows religious institutions to apply for security grants. The other requires extra training for private security in K-12 schools.

COLUMBIA — Churches, synagogues and other religious institutions in South Carolina could apply for up to $25,000 in state aid for security improvements under a bipartisan proposal.

The legislation, dubbed the “Pray Safe Act,” is meant to help worshippers of all religions feel safe practicing their faith amid a rise in violence toward religious institutions and groups, Rep. Beth Bernstein, the bill’s lead sponsor, told reporters Wednesday.

“Freedom to worship cannot be enjoyed unless you have freedom from fear,” said Bernstein, a Columbia Democrat and the state’s only Jewish legislator.

Any tax-exempt organization “at particular risk of being subject to a religiously motivated crime” would be able to apply for a grant of up to $25,000 to hire security guards, train existing security, make buildings more secure, or install cameras and lighting systems, according to the bill introduced earlier this month.

With a proposed pot of $750,000 to pull from, that would allow at least 30 religious groups to receive funding. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division would award the grants based on a religious group’s risk of being targeted, which include whether crimes have been committed there in the past and its existing level of security.

Violence at places of worship is an issue close to home for South Carolina, where an avowed white supremacist killed nine members of Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston during a 2015 Bible study.

The number of attacks on religious institutions and the people who worship there has only grown in the decade since, Bernstein said.

“In recent years, we have seen hundreds of houses of worship facing violent attacks, from shootings to bomb threats to potential fires,” Bernstein said. “Individual people of faith have also been targeted at alarming rates.”

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Instances of vandalism, arson, shootings and bomb threats at churches across the country doubled last year, according to numbers tracked by the Family Research Council. In 2023, the most recent data available, the evangelical nonprofit reported 436 “acts of hostility” against churches nationwide, compared with about 195 the year before.

The same year, the Anti-Defamation League reported nearly 9,000 antisemitic incidents, which include assaults, vandalism and harassment. That was more than double the 3,600 reported in 2022, according to the organization.

The Charleston and Columbia Jewish federations have seen an uptick in synagogues applying to the joint Secure Community Network, a national nonprofit that provides security training and facility assessments and helps them connect with local law enforcement officers, said Tair Giudice, CEO of the Charleston Jewish Federation.

But because of funding restrictions, less than half of all applications to the nonprofit are accepted, Giudice said. Synagogues that can’t afford security improvements on their own are left with few other options, she said.

“South Carolina is a state that has always valued faith and worship, and for our faith communities to thrive, it is critical people feel safe,” Giudice said.

The bill has yet to have a hearing, and the House did not include the $750,000 in its budget plan for the coming fiscal year. Bernstein hopes the grant program gets added before the budget is finalized. The Senate will debate its plan later this month.

The bill’s co-sponsors suggest its chances are good. Republicans who have signed on include House Ways and Means Chairman Bruce Bannister of Greenville and House Judiciary Chairman Weston Newton of Bluffton.

Private security in schools

A separate bill that advanced last week to the Senate floor would require private security officers working in K-12 schools to go through stricter training.

Lawmakers have long wanted every school in the state to hire a school resource officer, who is a law enforcement officer dedicated to patrolling a school. Last year, legislators designated $2 million to help schools that couldn’t afford to hire officers.

With shortages of officers across the state, though, some districts have still struggled to fill positions. For instance, 37 of Greenville County’s 91 schools have no dedicated security officer, said Sen. Jason Elliott, a co-sponsor on the bill. So, the district turned to private security officers to fill in the gaps, the Greenville Republican said.

The goal is to “supplement and not supplant” school resource officers, Elliott said. Schools would be encouraged to continue searching for full-time resource officers, he said.

The bill would require officers working in certain schools to go through extra training with SLED “to enhance accountability and compliance.” Any officers working in a school would also have to be at least 21 years old and get re-certified every two years.

Only schools with a full-time security division and a written agreement with local law enforcement would be able to hire private security officers under the bill.

“Kids’ safety and protection is the number one key,” said Sen. Ross Turner, a Greenville Republican and the bill’s chief sponsor. “Before anybody can learn, you’ve got to feel safe.”

The Senate Education Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to advance the proposal.

This article was originally published by the South Carolina Daily Gazette.

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