Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Friday issued an executive order reinstating the Arkansas School Safety Commission in the aftermath of a May 24 school shooting that left 19 children and two adults dead in Uvalde, Texas.
"The recent violence in Texas was a stark reminder that the work of securing our schools is never done," the Republican governor said in a news release issued late Friday afternoon. "That is why I am calling the Arkansas School Safety Commission back into service.."
Members of the commission that he created in March of 2018 submitted 30 significant recommendations in their original 124-page report, and school districts across the state have implemented many of the recommendations, according to the governor's office.
"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," Hutchinson said in the news release. "The original commission built a solid foundation on which to continue this vital work."
Last week, Hutchinson said that he asked Cheryl May, director of the Criminal Justice Institute for the University of Arkansas System, to reconvene the commission.
At that time, he added school safety and security to the list of items for a potential special session that he said he could call in July or August. He said he also would recommend that part of the state's projected $1.47 billion surplus in fiscal 2022 that ends June 30 be used for school safety efforts throughout the state, which could be in the form of a grant program that could reach $50 million. He said he is not looking to add gun control measures to the agenda.
Under the governor's executive order issued Friday, the commission will review its final report published in November of 2018 and provide an update on the status of school safety across Arkansas.
The commission also will update the analysis of the safety of K-12 schools throughout the state, taking into consideration the physical and mental health of students, and determine which findings and recommendations from the previous report have not been remediated or achieved, according to the governor's executive order.
The commission is charged with identifying any new recommendations of best practices in school safety that have developed since the commission's final report in 2018 and submitting an initial report and recommendations that will be due to the governor on Aug. 1 under the executive order. Subsequent reports will be submitted by the commission's chair.
The commission will submit its final report of findings and recommendations to the governor no later than Oct. 1, at which time the work of the commission will conclude, according to the governor's executive order.
According to the governor's office, the commission includes:
• May, as the commission's chair.
• Leslie Rutledge, who is Arkansas attorney general, or her designee.
• A.J. Gary, director of the Division of Emergency Management in the Arkansas Department of Public Safety.
• David Hopkins, superintendent of the Clarksville School District.
• Donna Wilchie, school counselor in the Conway School District.
• Tim Cain, director of the Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation in the Arkansas Department of Education.
• Crystal Braswell, Office of Coordinated Support and Services in the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.
• Tim Helder, Washington County sheriff.
• Bill Temple, retired special agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
• Laura Dunn, director of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' Psychiatric Research Institute.
• Jami Cook, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Public Safety and director of Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy.
• John Allison, teacher at Vilonia High School.
• Marvin Burton, principal in the Little Rock School District.
• Chris Chapmond, chief of the Hot Springs Police Department and president of Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police.
• Patricia Gann, deputy director of the Division of Aging, Adult and Behavioral Health Services in the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
• Bill Gossage, deputy chief of staff of external operations in the governor's office.
• Linda Graham, school psychologist, Nettleton School District.
• Mike Hernandez, executive director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators.
• Bill Hollenbeck, chief of police for the Fort Smith Public Schools.
• Ricky Hopkins, parent in the Prescott School District
• Tom Jenkins, chief of the Rogers Fire Department.
• Lori Poston, vice president of clinical services in the Northeast region for Arisa Health.
• Courtney Salas-Ford, chief legal counsel in the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education at the Arkansas Department of Education.
• Paula Stone, assistant director of children's services in the Division of Aging, Adult and Behavioral Health Services at the Arkansas Department of Human Services.