Woodlawn School Board approves armed, commissioned officers
RISON AR June 17, 2022 – In the wake of last month’s deadly school shooting in Texas, the Woodlawn School Board approved a motion Monday night that will put Commissioned School Security Officers (CCSO) within the school district beginning with the 2022-23 school year.
Woodlawn Superintendent Dr. Kevin Hancock said existing staff will be used to fill the roles of CCSO. He said those participating in the program will first undergo the mandatory background checks and certified training before receiving the certification.
According to the Security Training Institute of Arkansas website, a CCSO is “granted the authorization by the Arkansas State Police to carry a firearm while on the property of a public school (K-12)” after passing the background checks and certified training.
Hancock said the school board approved the motion to install the commissioned officers after a thorough discussion during its regular monthly meeting Monday night. Hancock said the plan is to have the security officers in place by the start of the new school year in August.
Becoming a CCSO will be voluntary among the staff, though Hancock noted that he invited some staff members to go through the training. He said the exact number of staff who will be certified is still to be determined.
More than a dozen school districts in Arkansas began training existing staff to become armed security guards in 2013. The Clarksville School District, which was among those districts, has about 20 staff members with the training that are located in each of the buildings across its campuses.
To become a CCSO, Hancock said the applicant must first undergo state and federal background checks before having a psychological evaluation. Once those two requirements are met, he said the next step will be 60 hours of training by a certified instructor with additional training required on annual basis after that.
