The huntsville school district serves 2,324 students at six schools in rural arkansas

Poverty impacts 68% of huntsville students. In the 2021-2022 school year, three incidents related to a gun on school grounds were reported to law enforcement, alongside six incidents related to a knife on school grounds, ten incidents of the distribution of illegal drugs, and 52 physical attacks. Safety is a priority concern, and with the support and expertise of the huntsville police department and madison county sheriffs office, district-wide safety reviews have identified the most critical and pressing gaps that could be addressed with svpp funding to best protect students and staff. The overall goal of the huntsville svpp initiative is to enhance the safety of huntsville school district students and staff. Specifically, upgrades will include: shatter-resistant security window film district-wide, preventing forced entry to school buildings. Bus surveillance cameras for five vehicles that are without this safety resource. Security camera upgrades at huntsville high school, replacing an outdated and unreliable system. Electronic strike and wireless door lock access control for exterior doors, and interior doors that are listed as a priority, which will require employee badges for entry, limiting unauthorized access. Fencing for huntsville middle school to improve the security of the campus. Enhancements to the mass notification system, enabling audible text-to-speech speakers throughout the district to address the needs of individuals with visibility impairments. Upgrades will also bring ten wireless panic buttons for school nurses in the event of a medical emergency. The huntsville school district, the madison county sheriffs office, and the huntsville police department coordinated closely to design a safety upgrade plan that will best protect students and staff, preventing unauthorized access to the school buildings and grounds, ensuring equal access to the mass notification system, and upgrading video surveillance in the hallways and on buses to inform appropriate responses in the event of an emergency.