ENGLAND, Ark. (KATV) — As students across Arkansas prepare to return to the classroom, school leaders and law enforcement officials say keeping schools safe requires year-round planning, strong partnerships and community involvement.
From emergency drills to monitoring online threats, educators said school safety begins long before the first day of school and continues beyond the classroom.
In England, Superintendent Judy Hubbell said student safety is the district’s highest priority.
“I want parents to know that their child’s safety is our number one priority,” Hubbell said. “It’s not football. It’s not basketball. It’s not even academics.”
Hubbell said the England School District works closely with the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office and uses security cameras on school campuses and buses. The district also conducts regular emergency drills to ensure students and staff know how to respond in a crisis.
“If we had a real intruder, they need to know what to do, and we do practice that,” Hubbell said.
School safety extends beyond physical security, according to Jordan Kelley, board secretary and instructor for the National Association of School Resource Officers.
Kelley said one of the biggest challenges school resource officers face is investigating threats made online before they escalate into real-world emergencies.
“We’re always looking at those threats that are made for online violence,” Kelley said. “Those are very difficult in nature to investigate and respond to.”
Kelley said school resource officers serve a role beyond responding to emergencies. He said they work to build positive relationships with students, giving them another trusted adult on campus.
“The SRO is not always sitting at the door waiting on something to happen,” Kelley said.
“They’re building relationships with students, positive, long-lasting relationships. They’re giving them another adult on campus that can be trusted.”
Both Kelley and Hubbell said parents and students play an important role in maintaining safe schools by speaking up when they notice something concerning.
“If you see something, you need to let somebody know,” Kelley said. “Go and find that SRO. Go and find that administrator. Bring it to their attention.”
Hubbell echoed that message, encouraging students to report concerns to trusted adults at school.
“Don’t be afraid to go to the principal or your teacher or the counselor,” Hubbell said. “Just talking with your children will help so much.”
School leaders said creating a safe learning environment is a shared responsibility among schools, law enforcement, students and families. Hubbell said the goal is to ensure students can focus on learning while knowing their schools are prepared for potential emergencies.
