NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — There's been a lot of learning going on in the halls of North Little Rock High School— maybe even more so for Superintendent Dr. Gregory Pilewski.
"Number one to know, safety and security is always gonna be our number one priority," he said.
Of course, school safety has been even more prevalent right now, as tragedies from other districts across the country have stuck with them.
"Kind of accelerate our plan, specifically because of Uvalde," Dr. Pilewski said.
The plan refers to a newly implemented school safety task force committee, made up of nine members of the school district community.
The committee will be focused on thinking of ways to keep students in the district safe.
"We wanted to make sure that every single one of our communities within the city is represented, and their voices are represented," Dr. Pilewski explained.
One of the committee members is Katie Walker, a mental health professional.
"Because every school has different needs, and it's important to hear every voice in those," she said.
Walker is the parent of an NLRSD student herself, and said that she knows the importance of different perspectives.
"So I think when we understand that effectively, we'll be able to meet kids where we're at and then see a reduction in that violence and therefore an increase in students feeling understood and seen," Walker added.
The group isn't just made up of parents though— the North Little Rock Police Department also has a seat at the table.
"It's kind of a dream team if you ask me," said NLRPD Police Chief Patrick Thessing. "We can't do it by ourselves, we're just a cog in the wheel."
Thessing has also joined the committee and said that it takes a village to make a change, but he's completely open to helping however they can.
At the end of the day, their goal is to do anything they can to keep kids and their families safe.
"Want the kids and the parents to know that, you know, they're safe, they're in a safe environment," Thessing added. "We're there to do our best to make sure it stays that way."
It's not easy to have these conversations, especially since there isn't one true fix.
However, Dr. Pilewski said that they'll do whatever they can to keep students safe and secure at school.
"Because we're in the business of teaching and learning. so for that to happen, that environment has to feel safe and secure," he said.