Pea Ridge School Board members agreed that superintendent Rick Neal should do what it takes to make the schools in the district a safer place for students and teachers.
The board, in a regular meeting Monday night, gave Neal the goahead to gather more information toward finalizing plans for addinga security system and structurally altering the four schools for safety.
Neal said the plans he has discussed so far with officials would cost about $150,000 total, including $85,000 for building upgrades and $65,000 to $80,000 for some sort of security system.
Neal made a presentation to the board in a study session prior to the meeting, during which he cited the recent Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy and the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. In years following recurring horrific events at schools across the nation, Neal said the only security measures the school has taken is a lock down procedure that rarely gets rehearsed and video surveillance in the middle and high schools.
The Hall Pass system was installed in the schools in 2009.
The system, with a swipe of adriver’s license or other identification from all visitors, would access the sex offender registry and restricted visitor lists before printing a temporary sticker to be worn inside the school. It did not physically limit access to any of the buildings.
Structural changes Neal suggested, along with input from School Resource Officer LonBrown and Police Chief Tim Ledbetter, include replacing doors with ones that have high-powered magnetic locks, with a scanned badge required by all students and teachers for entry. The details of this process still need to be worked out, Neal said.
Windows would also be upgraded or replaced for safety.
The current alarm system in the schools is set off by even the wind, Neal said. A new system would secure the buildings’ entrances and exits.
“It’s going to be uncomfortable for the community, teachers and students,” Neal said, regarding the adjustment to a new level ofsecurity. “We would have the ability to lock down the entire school district with the click of a mouse.”
Brown said the faculty and staff in the schools would also be held at a higher level of accountability for monitoring those coming in and out of the buildings.
Ledbetter said the district has built nice new buildings and athletic facilities, but this is the next project - to improve the buildings’ security. He said the district’s 212 employees mean that there are already 212 security guards inside who should be watching the children. The goal with these changes would be to subject them to specifictraining, including what to be aware of and how to react to certain situations.
Neal said Brown would be responsible for training faculty and staff, which Neal referred to as a “change in culture.”
“We have to be prepared to make some people angry,” Ledbetter said. “I’d rather fight some disgruntled people than come up here and pick up bodies.”
Board member Ann Cato said the plan is long overdue.
Neal said he will present further information at the next board meeting.
In the regular meeting, board members:
◊Went into executive session to evaluate Neal;
◊ Discussed a new performance-based teacher evaluation system to be piloted in the 2013-2014 school year;
◊Heard an update on the ALE Center from director Aaron Gaffigan who said this year he has had one student graduate and two transition back into the high school, with three more expected to graduate this spring; and
◊Approved school trips with teacher Perry Mason to East Newton High School in Grandy, Mo., for a dodgeball tournament and with choir director Van Enderson to Miami, Okla.
The next regular meeting will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11.
News, Pages 1 on 01/16/2013