NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - In a time when many students say they are afraid to go to school, one Central Arkansas district has approved a plan aimed at insuring on-campus safety.
North Little Rock school board members and campus administrators said they receive questions every day regarding security on-campus. They hope swift action can help prevent violence, like the shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school in February.
On Thursday, March 15, the school board unanimously approved a measure to purchase metal detectors for the middle school and alternative school. It also lays out policy for scanning students on those campuses, and the high school, where metal detectors were recently purchased.
"We have a policy in place now; we have, equipment; we need to be trained and move forward as quickly as possible," North Little Rock High School Principal Scott Jennings said after Thursday's vote.
Next, Jennings said principals and security staff will be trained on screening procedure. He said district leaders will also talk with stakeholders about how the scanners will be used, including if students will be screened daily as they enter campuses or at random.
"They want that feeling of safety," Jennings said of students and staff. "And it's our job to give them that; that's the basic foundation of what we do."
The school board also approved adding 16 part-time campus supervisors to monitor North Little Rock School District's nine elementary schools. Those employees would help with metal detector screenings on secondary campuses and at evening events.
Click here to read the proposal approved by school board members on Thursday.