Community Group Pushes After School Safety for Central HS Students
By: Brittney Johnson, KARK 4 News
Updated: December 13, 2012
Chances are your kid's school has security on campus but what happens the second they leave for the day? Little Rock School District leaders say they're investing in keeping kids safe even after the final bell rings, and now community organizations like Stop the Violence are stepping up to help.
Minutes after school was out for Central High School students Thursday, for Reverend Stacey Allen class was still in session. The subject Is safety and every day after school. These students get a pop quiz.
"My concerns are the neighborhood," he says. "They're gullible. If someone comes up to you and says let me use their phone and take off running with it, then you're going to take off running don't do that."
That's a recent example Allen says pushed him to step out and speak to students about safety.
"We have good security but I believe we need more, why not add more," says student Alicia Waits.
As one of the largest schools in the district in an area prone to police calls, Central has ten security officers and two police officers making rounds on and nearby campus. It''s enough for Waits and her three sisters to feel safe.
"From a scale of 8 to 10, I feel about an 8," Wait says.
But since some walk out of sight home or to meet parents, Allen makes a point to walk around and remind them to keep their eyes open and valuable items secure as they venture deeper into the surrounding neighborhood.
"You can hide in these bushes, hide behind something, this is the time of year everything is happening, people are getting beat up and robbed, we're just trying to raise awareness," says Allen.
The head of security for the district says they're currently upgrading the alarm systems and security cameras at Central and throughout the district.
Minutes after school was out for Central High School students Thursday, for Reverend Stacey Allen class was still in session. The subject Is safety and every day after school. These students get a pop quiz.
"My concerns are the neighborhood," he says. "They're gullible. If someone comes up to you and says let me use their phone and take off running with it, then you're going to take off running don't do that."
That's a recent example Allen says pushed him to step out and speak to students about safety.
"We have good security but I believe we need more, why not add more," says student Alicia Waits.
As one of the largest schools in the district in an area prone to police calls, Central has ten security officers and two police officers making rounds on and nearby campus. It''s enough for Waits and her three sisters to feel safe.
"From a scale of 8 to 10, I feel about an 8," Wait says.
But since some walk out of sight home or to meet parents, Allen makes a point to walk around and remind them to keep their eyes open and valuable items secure as they venture deeper into the surrounding neighborhood.
"You can hide in these bushes, hide behind something, this is the time of year everything is happening, people are getting beat up and robbed, we're just trying to raise awareness," says Allen.
The head of security for the district says they're currently upgrading the alarm systems and security cameras at Central and throughout the district.
