The Arkansas School Safety Commission is sticking by its recommendation to have an armed presence on every campus when staff and children are present, but members said they recognized the need to approach this topic with care.
"We know we are going to step on some toes," committee member and Vilonia High School teacher John Allison said during a Monday morning meeting of the commission. "We know we are going to make some people mad."
Gov. Asa Hutchinson appointed the 18-member commission in March in the aftermath of the Feb. 14 mass shooting of 17 students and adults by an intruder at a Parkland, Fla., high school.
The Arkansas commission of educators, law enforcement personnel and mental health providers -- chaired by Cheryl May, executive director of the Criminal Justice Institute -- submitted its preliminary recommendations to Hutchinson in July and is now compiling information for a final report due Nov. 30.
The School Safety Commission met on Monday to work on writing the final recommendations for its final report.
The first draft of the recommendation by the Law Enforcement and Security subcommittee stated that no campus should ever be without an armed presence when staff and children are attending class or major extracurricular activity.
"Gone are the days when school safety might simply mean having enough rubber mulch under the swings to cushion a fall or the faithful execution of the monthly fire drill," Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder said during the review of recommendations for the Law Enforcement and Security subcommittee. "To address these horrific events will require a paradigm shift that incorporates the consideration and implementation of security measures that in years past may have not been considered for schools."
Assistant Attorney General Will Jones mentioned how the statement would quickly become a sticking point when the final report is released.
"It's going to be the lead in all the media stories," Jones said. "Nobody is going to get past that."
The initial recommendations released earlier this year gave schools options that include the already legally permitted school resource officers, who are police officers assigned to schools, and commissioned school security officers, who can be teachers and other school district personnel who meet training requirements to carry and use weapons, if necessary, on campuses.
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a grassroots organization now in all 50 states, previously spoke to the board in August and has campaigned against armed educators on school grounds.
Laura Hardy, a volunteer with the group's Arkansas chapter, was in attendance at the meeting and confirmed the organization's stance against arming teachers.
"We know guns don't belong in schools unless they are in the holster of trained law enforcement," Hardy said. "Gun violence is an epidemic in this country that won't change until we have some common-sense gun laws."
Sterling Claypoole, a professor at South Arkansas Community College, suggested changing the wording of the recommendation because it made him feel like they were telling school districts how to operate.
"I think it's a great recommendation," Claypoole said. "But it sounds like we are implying that you need to have an armed person on campus instead of suggesting it."
Doug Bradberry, operations manager for the Arkansas Department of Education, said that LISA Academy in Sherwood had previously told the board they were fine without an armed officer on campus because law enforcement in the area had a two- to three-minute response.
Allison said he disagreed.
"Two or three minutes is a long time when people are dying," Allison said.
David Hopkins, superintendent for the Clarksville School District, said the data supported the armed campus.
"The quickest response time is to have someone on campus," Hopkins said. "It's self-evident. I think you have to say it how it is."
Bradberry reminded everyone of the purpose of the commission's report.
"It's to make recommendations to the governor," Bradberry said. "It's up to the governor to decide what to do with these recommendations. Yes there will be schools who have problems with this recommendation, but there are others who might be able to do it. It's not an actual law."
Jones suggested they add statistics and details to go with the recommendation to make it more palatable.
"There is going to be a lot of people who disagree about it," Jones said. "But we need to emphasize that every second that ticks off is more lives and show that we don't have a more viable option. They can disagree with the recommendation, but they can't disagree at how we got to that point."
The recommendation was tabled to allow the subcommittee to add more details to support the argument for an armed presence on campus.
Hardy said no matter the wording, her organization's stance will not be swayed.
"I understand the aspect of the response time and I know they sincerely feel this way, but until we address the gun violence in this country in a large scale, then things aren't going to change," Hardy said.
Also Monday, the committee discussed ways to help fund security systems in schools using the Arkansas Division of Public Schools Academic Facilities and Transportation.
Murray Britton, the division's senior project manager, said it might be possible for air locks and secure vestibules guidelines to fall under the division's fire and safety requirements.
"We would have to change the rules because as of right now it specifically rules out security and surveillance," Britton said. "If we are going to fund security then it will need to be a whole system."
Britton said any new requirements for school security systems would probably have to be placed on new buildings.
Division director Brad Montgomery cautioned against adding too many requirements on schools.
"These requirements will not only increase state cost, but also district costs, and not all schools participate in the partnership program," Montgomery said.
Montgomery also wanted to consider campus atmosphere.
"If we make these schools into bunkers then we have lost the battle," Montgomery said.
Hutchinson also made a special appearance at the meeting Monday to thank the board for their efforts and stressed the importance of their work.
The committee is scheduled to meet again on Nov. 5.
Metro on 10/23/2018