COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Education is partnering with Critical Response Group to create detailed digital maps of every public K-12 school in the state, aiming to help first responders act more quickly during emergencies.

The maps will include floor plans, stairwells and access points to help police and firefighters navigate school buildings. They will be available only to law enforcement and first responders through secure access on smartphones or laptops.

It comes after a shooting in Minneapolis at a Catholic school took the lives of two children and injured more than a dozen others. Some parents have been left feeling uneasy about sending their kids to school after another instance of violence.

“You get reminded, it seems like almost weekly or monthly, that th

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