South Carolina H 5205: College Safety Training Programs for Students

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 5205 Text of Previous Version (Apr. 29, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 5205

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Committee Amendment Adopted

April 29, 2026

H. 5205

Introduced 
by Reps. McGinnis, Erickson, Grant, Spann-Wilder and Govan 

S. Printed 4/29/26--S.

Read the first time February 25, 2026

________

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH 
CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING ARTICLE 4 TO CHAPTER 101, TITLE 59 SO AS TO 
REQUIRE EACH PUBLIC COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY, AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE IN THIS STATE TO 
IMPLEMENT A SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAM FOR ALL NEW STUDENTS, TO PROVIDE EXCLUSIONS 
FROM THE PROGRAMS, TO PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROGRAMS, TO REQUIRE EACH 
INSTITUTION TO COMPILE AND ANNUALLY REPORT CERTAIN CAMPUS CRIME STATISTICS, 
AMONG OTHER THINGS, TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS, AND TO 
PROVIDE ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS.

 Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Chapter 101, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is amended by 
adding:

Article 4

College Safety Training Programs for Students

 Section 
59-101-810. As used in this article:

 (1) 
"Institution of higher learning" is defined pursuant to Section 59-103-5. 

 (2) 
"Public safety director" means the director or equivalent designated leader of 
a campus public safety department.

 (3) 
"Campus public safety department" means the division of an institution of 
higher learning that provides law enforcement and safety services to the institution.

 (4) 
"Affiliated" means anyone who possessed or possesses a valid campus 
identification at the time the alleged crime occurred including, but not 
limited to, students, faculty, staff, and contractors.

 Section 
59-101-820. (A) Beginning with 
the 2027-2028 School Year, each institution of higher learning shall develop 
and implement a safety training program for all new students. The training must 
be administered during the student's initial orientation or within the first 
thirty days of the student's arrival on campus. The provisions of this 
subsection apply to undergraduate and graduate students who are enrolled on a 
full-time or part-time basis and physically attend class on campus. The 
provisions of this subsection do not apply to:

 (1) 
students who are only enrolled in adult education, dual enrollment, or 
certificate programs;

 (2) 
continuing education students; and

 (3) 
transient students.

 (B)(1) The training program for an 
institution of higher learning to which the provisions of this article apply 
must be developed by the institution's public safety director, in coordination 
with the institution's president and governing board. In the absence of a 
campus public safety department, a technical college shall contract with the 
security personnel that it uses on campus to develop and implement the student 
safety training in coordination with the president and governing board.

 (2) 
Notwithstanding the provisions of item (1), the president of the University of 
South Carolina system, in coordination with the governing board, shall work 
with the appropriate administrative personnel or public safety personnel at 
each system institution to ensure that each campus implements a training 
program as required by this chapter.

 (3) 
The content, format, and delivery method of the training must be determined by 
each institution and may include orientation programs, first-year experience 
courses, online modules, or any other methods considered appropriate by the 
institution.

 (C) The 
student safety training program must include information and instruction on the 
following topics:

 (1) 
personal safety and situational awareness on campus;

 (2) 
emergency procedures, including evacuation, lockdown, and shelter-in-place 
protocols;

 (3) 
how to access campus security services, emergency alerts, and communication 
systems;

 (4) 
prevention of and response to sexual assault, dating violence, domestic 
violence, and stalking, including Title IX rights and reporting procedures;

 (5) 
the role and contact information of the institution's behavioral intervention 
team or threat assessment team, if applicable;

 (6) 
bystander intervention strategies and safe reporting practices; and

 (7) 
information on campus mental health resources and crisis response protocols.

 (D) 
Institutions may tailor their training to the unique needs, size, and resources 
of their campuses, and may include additional topics as considered appropriate.

 (E)(1) Before January thirty-first of 
each academic year:

 (a) 
each public college and university shall submit an annual report to the 
Commission on Higher Education; and

 (b) 
each technical college shall submit an annual report to the State Bo