District features first Regional School Safety Summit

Springdale Public Schools hosted its first-ever Regional School Safety Summit June 7 at Don Tyson School of Innovation.

“Our goal for this summit is to learn and grow from the collective experiences of other school staff,” said Damon Donnell, Springdale Public Schools Student Services director. “This event will focus on school safety best practices and mental and behavioral health resources that promote safer schools and communities.”

The event featured keynote speaker Cheryl P. May, University of Arkansas System Criminal Justice Institute director, as well as breakout sessions on topics such as safety protocols, school law, mental health, cybersecurity, anonymous reporting, building safety audits and human trafficking.

About 120 school administrators, counselors, social workers, teachers and law enforcement professionals from 26 school districts throughout Arkansas attended the free event.

“We are very excited about this opportunity to serve school districts across Arkansas,” Donnell said.

The summit was made possible with the support of community partners, such as Catapult EMS, Raptor Technologies, Rave Mobile Safety, Arisa Health, Vantage Point of Northwest Arkansas and Springwoods Behavioral Health.

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