District Moving Forward With Alternative Safety & Security Planning

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Posted on 08/01/2018

The Cabot School District is making every effort to move forward with implementing necessary safety and security measures as we prepare to open on August 13th.   

Regardless of the outcome of the millage, the district knew it needed to remain vigilant when it came to security. Please understand our initial plans to upgrade and enhance security have been drastically reduced due to the millage proposal not being successful this past spring.  

We had hoped to provide additional armed security personnel at every school in our district with the passage of the millage proposal. This would have been accomplished by employing certified law enforcement officers or certified school safety officers.  Ironically, the Arkansas Governor’s Council on School Security recently recommended to the Governor that every school campus have at least one armed security officer when possible.  

Unfortunately, we will only be able to hire up to three additional certified law enforcement officers for our two large middle schools and an additional officer for Cabot High School that will also support the Cabot Learning Academy and the Academic Center of Excellence.  Officers Jackson and Roper will continue to support Cabot High School as well as provide back-up to all other campuses in our district.  

The district also intends to hire up to six security guards that will rotate between the nine elementary schools.  Though our security guards are not armed, they will provide an extra level of vigilance not currently provided to our elementary campuses.  

Keep in mind that we have a tentative staffing plan for the added law enforcement officers and security guards, this may change depending on the applicants available for the positions. Though we want to add the extra level of vigilance, we are not going to employ individuals that we do not believe are best suited for the school environment simply to fill positions.  

We are currently in the process of adjusting our budget to absorb the security staffing cost by not replacing certain duty staff positions.  Unfortunately, planned instructional programming will be on hold at this time in order to provide for security staffing, but there are not recommendations at this time to eliminate existing programming. 

Additionally, numerous short-term and long-term safety projects listed in the millage proposal are now on hold but will hopefully be accomplished in the coming years if funding becomes available.

Despite funding challenges, the district moved forward in advance of the millage vote on the following improvements: upgrading visitor management systems, installing key fob entry systems and live feed monitors, increasing high school security guard visibility, and renovating Westside Elementary School’s office to improve safety. We are also in the process of moving Cabot Middle School South’s playground from the front of the school to the back for safety. We also hired an assistant director of safety and security and purchased new security vehicles. 

Many other safety improvements are still needed but remain on hold. Those include: hiring additional armed security personnel, upgrading security and fire alarm systems, enhancing lighting and cameras at student drop-off and pick-up areas, and upgrading camera and recording systems at all facility entrances. We also have several school offices in need of renovation to improve visibility, campuses that need exterior lighting upgrades, new fencing around several student activity areas, emergency call boxes at different campuses, portable metal detectors, technology to monitor arrival and departure of students, GPS and student management systems for bus safety, and additional interior and exterior bus cameras, just to name a few.

Once again, keep in mind, any new security measures you see in the near future are only made possible by making adjustments to our budget. The safety of our students and staff is the utmost priority. We feel it is necessary to be as proactive as possible to protect what matters most.

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