NW Arkansas schools ace safety and security exam
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The largest school districts in Northwest Arkansas have posted straight A's when it comes to keeping kids safe, according to data compiled by Axios.
- It's a vast improvement over last year's analysis, which included two B's, two C's and an incomplete.
Why it matters: Incidents involving firearms on U.S. school campuses are up dramatically in the past two years, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database.
- On average, about 21 incidents occurred monthly on school grounds nationwide in 2021. That rose to more than 25 per month in 2022, and it's at about 28.5 per month so far this year.
- 166 people have been wounded or killed at U.S. schools since Jan. 1, 2023.
The big picture: Many people believe that "hardening" schools by increasing security is the best way to keep kids safe.
- Others argue that red flag, storage and age restriction gun laws need to be passed, along with hardening, to truly reduce risks.
Between the lines: At least seven laws passed in Arkansas this year allow more guns to be carried by more people in more places.
What we did: Axios polled 10 NWA school districts. Questions were based on five focus areas noted in the 2022 Arkansas School Safety Commission's final report: mental health and prevention; law enforcement and security; physical security; intelligence and communication; and audits, emergency operations and drills.
- The survey included two questions for each category.
- A single point was given for each tactic in place at a district. A half-point was awarded if a tactic was in progress, but not yet active.
The bottom line: The 10 schools surveyed are taking a layered approach to many of the top security and preventive recommendations from the Arkansas School Safety Commission.
Of note: The scores demonstrate how NWA's school districts have implemented best practices, but they don't mean one school is safer than another.
- In the interest of keeping kids safe, Axios has opted to not disclose the specific questions or the answers.