The Farmington School District is committed to making their campuses a safe space for students and staff. The district has a revised safety plan that is reviewed annually by district and building level administration, along with local law enforcement officials. One of the preparations they are able to share is the start of a brand new position: District Safety Coordinator. Farmington Safety Director Dean Campbell states, “As Safety Director, our top priority will always be safety of our students. With all of the new construction and increase in student enrollment, it is imperative that we revise our safety plan every year.”
A key component to the safety plan is the employment of two full-time school resource officers, along with another commissioned security officer. One of those resource officers, Jimmy Brotherton, was named the University of Arkansas Criminal Justice Department “School Resource Officer of the Year”. Officer Brotherton, a Farmington graduate, has spent most of his law enforcement career making each campus at Farmington safer.
The district safety plan includes many other precautions. The district safety plan included three major updates. The district has replaced outdated campus cameras with active and high-definition security cameras with facial recognition features. Mandatory visitor check-in procedures are in place at each campus. A reporting system called “See Something Say Something” has been implemented throughout each campus and on the school website. All students and staff will be trained and will practice emergency procedures.
Farmington Superintendent Jon Laffoon said, “Safety is our number one priority and the addition of safety teams, new cameras, and a reporting system were needed. School safety is a concern across our nation and we are happy to have Mr. Campbell leading our district safety team. We encourage our community and students to help us by reporting anything suspicious or out of the norm with our new reporting system.”