Columns

Latin meaning “guardian at law,” a guardian ad litem is a person appointed by a family court judge to advocate for a child in a court case.
This term isn’t commonly used in the daily vocabulary of most people. Because of confidentiality laws, most residents don’t have any idea how many child abuse and neglect cases that fill the docket of Lancaster County Family Court.
However, for one group of Lancaster volunteers, knowing these children is a way of life.

When I was growing up, I had a lot of heroes.
I especially liked the men on the show “Adam 12,” and Andy on the “Andy Griffith Show.”
Besides the fact that these men were talented actors and made me laugh, I really liked that they wore uniforms and helped people.
I still remember the first lines of the opening credits of “Adam 12,” about a 10-11 in progress.
I still don’t know what a 10-11 is, but I know the police always showed up on time and the problem was solved.

Imagine a public education system able to provide access to high-quality instruction, regardless of where a student lives.
Imagine schools able to give individualized instruction to potential dropouts. Or course offerings that encourage students to master their studies, instead of simply show up for class.
In fact, this vision for the state’s public school system already exists; it’s called online learning.

On Aug. 3, I was proud to join Gov. Nikki Haley and others for a bill-signing ceremony at TriCounty Technical College’s satellite campus in Easley.
It was a special day for me, because the legislation she was signing into law was a higher education transparency bill I have long championed. Under the new law, South Carolina’s state-supported colleges and universities must disclose their monthly spending details on their websites.