LONOKE, Ark. — The school year is off to a safe start in Lonoke, and administrators hope it stays that way as Lonoke School District just upgraded the security across its campuses.
"I appreciate the Lonoke School District," Lonoke teacher and parent Sarah Gidding said. "Looking at what we have and making it better, especially for the safety of our children."
Giddings teaches sixth graders at Lonoke Middle School and has one child in the district.
She said the new security improvements are a step in the right direction.
"I am very comforted that my students are being protected," Giddings said.
Some upgrades include a new foyer in the middle school to prevent visitors from walking directly into the hallway, a keycard system for staff members and 99 new cameras around the district.
"We want to be proactive instead of reactive," Lonoke superintendent Jeff Senn said.
Senn also said the keycard system doesn't just protect the school but its facilities as well.
"A couple of years ago, we had student pranks inside our building," Senn said. "They had gotten a key from someone, and even though it was after hours, they could use it to get into our buildings. Now they can't do that."
The keycard system only lets staff into the building during a specific time frame.
In addition, the district also hired a full-time lead security officer to patrol all campuses.
Officer Malcolm Cole worked in the district as an SRO for 20 years and is now part of the push focused on improving security.
"Those things that we've added," Cole said. "[Are] things that have been needed for a long time."
The district purchased 11 tactical shields in case of an active shooter situation. They're in all the patrol cars and all of the schools.
"You gotta get right in there," Cole said. "My mindset is, if you come in now to hurt my kids, I'm coming for you. I ain't waiting around."
Giddings said Cole's presence is much appreciated around the campuses.
"He has seen us run all our drills," Giddings said. "He has walked us through what we have done well and what we can improve upon, which is very important for me to know as a parent and teacher."
According to Giddings, the next goal is to get more funding so the district can hire an armed security officer for every building and install a weapon detection system.