Green Forest (Ark.) School District upping security for student safety

Green Forest school district doesn't take security lightly.

"The safety and security audit is a very detailed look at your buildings and your surroundings," said Superintendent Dr. Matt Summers. "Not only an active shooter situation, what if someone tried to plant a bomb, vehicles coming through our campus."

After last year's audit, the school district made some changes.

"In the past, we just locked down everything and we just hunkered down," Summers said. "Not a best practice. The best practice is lock down where the threat is, evacuate everybody else, get them out of the area."

That extra security includes numbered hallways, mirrors to see around corners, special windows, speed bumps and more school resource officers.

"We have four school resource officers. We have one in each building with their police car and uniform every day," Summers said.

Last year the school district also made the decision to arm several employees, but won't state how many, or which ones are armed, for safety purposes.

The employees are volunteers.

After undergoing background checks, the employees have to undergo drug testing, psychological testing, active shooter training, and learn first aid to get an armed security guard license.

"There was what we call tactical first aid, employing tourniquets," Summers said.

They have continuous training throughout the year as well.

The school district also pays for the training and the gun. That gun has to be on the employee's person and concealed, or in a safe.

Now that they've gotten through the first year, the superintendent said there's still been no gun violence on campus.

"We have done everything in our power as a board, as a community to protect our most valued asset, which is our kids," he said.

The next safety and security audit will be next spring.