The Today Show Visits Plain Elementary

NBC's The Today Show visited Plain Elementary in Simpsonville on Wednesday morning to spotlight the school and its partnership with the Simpsonville Police Department.

The show called the school's decision to offer police officer Justin Chandler office space at the school unique. Host Matt Lauer was impressed enough to say at the end of the segment that the partnership could become a national model for other schools to emulate.

The idea is simple: police officers are inundated with paperwork, so why not supply office space for them in school? At Plain, the school gets a constant police presence in the form of Chandler, whom the kids simply seemed to adore in the clip, and they get him at no cost to the school or the district.

The new substation gives him a place for his work, and in return he uses the rest of his time there to patrol the halls and grounds and interact with the kids. Both parents and children said in the clip they feel much safer with Chandler in the school. And Chandler, whom the segment shows high-fiving students and interacting happily with them, clearly loves the setup.

Miss the segment Wednesday morning? Click here to view it.