LITTLE ROCK – With the increased concern about school safety in the wake of recent events around the nation, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced today that he has issued an executive order to reinstate the Arkansas School Safety Commission.“

The recent violence in Texas was a stark reminder that the work of securing our schools is never done,” Governor Hutchinson said. “That is why I am calling the Arkansas School Safety Commission back into service. Members of the commission, which I created in 2018, submitted thirty significant recommendations in their original 124-page report. School districts around the state have implemented many of the recommendations.

“But it is crucial that we constantly assess the security of our schools and keep abreast of the best ways to ensure our children and educators are safe. The original commission built a solid foundation on which to continue this vital work.”

Members of the commission will review the final report from the Commission in 2018. They will update the analysis of the safety of K-12 schools throughout the state taking into consideration the physical and mental health of students. The Commission will identify any new recommendations of best practices in school safety that have developed since 2018.

The School Safety Commission’s first meeting will be Tuesday, June 14, at the state capitol, and the initial report is due to Governor Hutchinson on August 1, 2022.

The commission will include a representative from the Arkansas Attorney General’s office, the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management (ADEM), the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), and the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy (ALETA).

The commission also will include the director of the CJI, a county sheriff, a public school superintendent, a public school teacher, a public school counselor, and a former federal law enforcement officer.

Members of the commission are as follows:

• Dr. Cheryl May – Chair
  Director, Criminal Justice Institute
  University of Arkansas System
  

• Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge
  Arkansas Attorney General, or her designee
  

• A.J. Gary
  Director, Division of Emergency Management
  Arkansas Department of Public Safety
  

• Dr. David Hopkins
  Superintendent, Clarksville School District
  

• Donna Wilchie 
  School Counselor, Conway School District
  

• Tim Cain
  Director, Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation
  Arkansas Department of Education
  

• Crystal Braswell
  Office of Coordinated Support and Services, Division of Elementary and Secondary Education
  Arkansas Department of Education
  

• Tim Helder
  Sheriff, Washington County
  

• Bill Temple
  Retired Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation
  

• Dr. Laura Dunn
  Director, UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute
  

• Secretary Jami Cook
  Director, Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy
  Secretary, Arkansas Department of Public Safety
  

• John Allison 
  Teacher, Vilonia High School
  

• Marvin Burton
  Principal, Little Rock School District
  

• Chris Chapmond
  Chief, Hot Springs Police Department
  President, Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police
  

• Patricia Gann
  Deputy Director, Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services
  Arkansas Department of Human Services
  

• Bill Gossage
  Deputy Chief of Staff, External Operations, Governor’s Office
  

• Linda Graham
  School Psychologist, Nettleton School District
  

• Dr. Mike Hernandez
  Executive Director, Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators
  

• Bill Hollenbeck
  Chief of Police, Fort Smith Public Schools
  

• Ricky Hopkins
  Parent, Prescott School District
  

• Tom Jenkins
  Chief, Rogers Fire Department
  

• Lori Poston
  Vice President of Clinical Services, Northeast Region, Arisa Health 
  

• Courtney Salas-Ford
  Chief Legal Counsel, Division of Elementary and Secondary Education
  Arkansas Department of Education
  

• Paula Stone
  Assistant Director, Children’s Services, Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services
  Arkansas Department of Human Services