LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — In the wake of the Uvalde shooting, the debate still continues regarding how to keep students safe in schools. House members debated classroom safety measures while in a packed Capitol room at the Arkansas senate.
Dr. Cheryl May has chaired the Arkansas School Safety Commission since it was first created back in 2019. That's when the committee spent months visiting schools and speaking with those that were impacted by state schooling. Their goal in doing so was "to come up with our 30 recommendations," May said.
Those recommendations looked at various safety improvements in everything from mental health, to law enforcement presence at schools, such as school resource officers.
Little Rock School District has already implemented some of these safety measures. Director of LRSD Security Ron Self, explained "This isn't something we just talk about when an event happens and becomes more popular. But this is something that we do every day that we're looking at constantly."
This includes a social media monitoring app that scans for any alarming messages, as well as their own school district app that allows community members to report concerns on a community tip line.
"That helps us with not only violence towards others, but suicides and things like that, where they're talking of, of self harm. And so we're able to intervene in that," Self said.
There was not a lot that was discussed in the way of gun reform, but instead they focused more on in-school training. Some teachers at the meeting Monday shared concerns that the brunt of the safety responsibility seems to fall on them.
"We're asking our teachers to do a lot, because they are the front lines....There's also a focus on teacher wellness, because that is critically important," Dr. Mays said.
But the state still wants to parents to be assured that safety is of the utmost priority. Secretary of Education Johnny Key stated, "I think we can still feel like it's a safe place to send our kids to school. Still one of the safest places that they can be to get what they need."
The Arkansas School Safety Commission is expected to be meeting again next week to decide on more recommendations that will be heard at a special session later this summer.