School safety efforts driven by LEARNS Act draw praise from experts

Increased school safety requirements mandated through the LEARNS Act have prompted many districts to redouble their security efforts, a move praised by experts in the field as a much-needed boost to work that began years ago.

"The LEARNS Act was pretty comprehensive with everything we've done," said Cheryl P. May, the director of the University of Arkansas System's Criminal Justice Institute and the Arkansas Center for School Safety. "Where we are as a state today, with respect to our focus on school safety, is very different from where we were five years ago."

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders prioritized the passage of the sweeping education overhaul known as the LEARNS Act during her first months in office, signing the bill into law in March 2023. Safety is a major component of the package;