It’s a typical Monday morning, you’re tired and nervous about your math test but then you hear Mrs. Spencer announce that we’re going on an administrative lockdown, meaning the red shirts are coming. I don’t know why she doesn’t just admit this but hey whatever works for you. Many of you know what this means, but for those of you who are still not sure this is the article for you. 

After doing some research I discovered that the red shirts are a part of the Charleston County School District Search and Safety Team. This team is made up of six individuals with law enforcement, security, and/or military experience. After doing further research I found absolutely nothing on these individuals, Charleston County School District nor any other group had a picture showing them. However, live 5 news did have a video showing a random search in which the team can be seen. It is also a well-known fact that these men are also accompanied by a few police officers, not including the school’s SRO officer. 

The redshirts are responsible for leading random searches which usually consists of choosing a random class and searching the students along with their personal belongings. These searches are said to specifically occur at high schools like we see at Academic Magnet and there is a possibility at middle schools. A class can get out of search if it is taking a test or quiz and the teacher tells the Search and Safety team that they do not have time for a search. In addition to random searches the Search and Safety Team is responsible for taking note of safety precautions in schools. As I have heard from my teachers in the past week, this includes keeping the doors locked and closed at all times during the day. 

A question that many asked me through my research was why do the redshirts come so often at the magnet.  Apparently Charleston County Schools requires them to search each high school every three weeks – we are not special.  In conclusion, the redshirts are a division of the safety department of Charleston County School District which focuses on enforcing security and finding weapons in high schools around Charleston.