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Arkansas Safe Schools Association

 

Safe School News:

Dwight "Porkchop" Brown

June 24th, 2010

CORNING — Dwight “Porkchop” Brown, 43, passed away Thursday, June 24, 2010.

He was born March 23, 1967, at Pocahontas.

He was preceded in death by his father, Jerry C. Brown.

Survivors include his mother, Jane Brown of Pocahontas; two sisters, Janet Brown of Orlando, Fla., and Carla Pratt of Pocahontas; niece, Bailey Brown; and several cousins.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday in McNabb Funeral Home Chapel with Anthony Dowdy officiating. Burial will follow in Chesser Cemetery.

In addition to being an SRO, Porkchop was also the D.A.R.E. Association president. He attended the Arkansas Safe Schools Conference earlier this month. We will miss him.

Don't Miss Out

Registration Fee Includes

January 24, 2010

demoFish Fry with all the trimmings! - (Pre-Conference activity on Sunday, June 13, 2010)
Lunch on two conference days
One Year Membership to the ASSA
Conference Materials
Door Prizes

Upcoming Training

Arkansas Safe Schools
Initiative Upcoming Training

SRO I - Basic
Monday, July 12, 2010 – Friday July 16, 2010
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
UALR Mid-South – Baker Building
100 S. University Ave., Suite 100
Little Rock, AR, 72205
(501) 296-1920

Verbal Judo
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Criminal Justice Institute - Annex Classroom
7723 Colonel Glenn Road
Little Rock, Arkansas 72204

Rapid Response to an Active Shooter on a School Campus
Monday, July 26 – Tuesday, July 27, 2010
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Monticello, Arkansas

SRO II - Intermediate
Monday, August 2, 2010 – Friday August 6, 2010
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Criminal Justice Institute - Annex Classroom
7723 Colonel Glenn Road
Little Rock, AR, 72204

 

demoCriminal Justice Institute -
Click here for registration

 

 

About Us

The Arkansas Safe Schools Association is a statewide, non-profit organization consisting of School Resource Officers, School Safety Personnel, School Administrators and others dedicated protecting our children and helping our schools maintain a safe and orderly climate, thereby creating a positive learning environment. Our goal is to provide consistent, up-to-date, affordable, quality, training that is available to all law enforcement agencies and school districts across the state.  This training, along with a communication network of school safety professionals will make Arkansas Schools a safer place to learn.

ASSA Board:

personel bio pic Officer Jon Schwulst - President:  North Little Rock Police Department
Officer Schwulst has been on the Arkansas Safe Schools Association Board for the past 4 years and is now the current President. Officer Schwulst has been working for the North Little Rock Police Department for the last 10 years. During his time with the department Officer Schwulst has been assigned as the School Resource Officer for 6 of those years. Office Schwulst started working with the 6th grade school and is now currently assigned to two 7-8th grade schools. He is also a member of the North Little Rock Police Department Crisis Negotiation Team. Officer Schwulst likes to spend time with his 3 sons and train in Aikido. He is currently this style for the past 9 years and currently hold a 2nd degree black belt.
personel bio pic Daphne Gallot-Knighten - Vice President:  Assistant Principal Lakewood Middle School

 

Daphne is currently an assistant principal in the North Little Rock School District at Lakewood Middle School. She has been in education for the past 20 years. She was in the classroom for 10 years in the stats of Louisiana, Wisconsin, and Arkansas prior to administration. This year will begin her 12th year in administration. Ms. Knighton received a BFA at Louisiana Tech university and a MAT in Science and Math at Grambling State University.

personel bio pic Cpl. Scott Megason - Secretary/Treasurer:  Texarkana Police Department

Scott has been employed with the Texarkana Police Department as a Certified Law Enforcement officer for over 18 years. He is assigned as the School Resource Officer at Arkansas High School. As the SRO, Scott has implemented the Smart Choices, Better Chances law education curriculum and has also implemented Teen Driving Safety programs. When Scott is not serving as the School SRO he is an instructor teaching the Criminal Justice Curriculum at the Texas Area Vocational Center. Scott is happily married with three adult children and four grandchildren. Scott enjoys staying active in his Masonic Lodge, riding his motorcycle and traveling to the Caribbean with his wife Sharon.

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Sgt. Richard Davies - Past President:

Richard Davies recently retired from full time law enforcement with the Pine Bluff (AR) Police Department, Richard Davies specialized in awareness, intervention, prevention programs involving juvenile crime, gangs, drugs and other law related education programs. He was also involved in the Police Exploring Program, supervised the Neighborhood Watch Program, coordinator of the bi-annual (8-week) Citizen's Police Academy and the yearly National Night Out event.

A graduate of Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command, and with over 3,200 hours of training, Richard holds a Senior Certificate (law enforcement highest certificate level). He was a nationally recognized School Resource Officer before being promoted to Sergeant and Supervisor of the cities Law Related Education and Community/Public Relations Programs. He also served on the Crisis Negotiation Team, Public Information Officer, and as President of the Arkansas Safe Schools Association.

Richard, a certified law enforcement instructor, continues to train officers, teachers and school administrators all over the country to better prepare them to be more effective working with the School Resource Officer programs in the public school system.

Richard is currently working with the White Hall (AR) Police Department, over-seeing the A.P.I.G. Group and presenting the SHOT program to children across the state.

 

ASSA At Large Members/Conference Planning:


personel bio pic Ms. Chris Foley - Director of Special Services Russellville School District

Bio Coming Soon

personel bio pic Eric Huber - Supervisor of Safety & Security Fort Smith Public Schools

Eric Huber is employed with the Fort Smith Public Schools as the Supervisor of Safety and Security. He has been with the Fort Smith School District  for 6 years. He currently oversees the Safety and Security of 19 Elementary schools 4 Junior High Schools 2 High Schools and 2 Alternative Schools and 1 Adult Education Center. Eric serves a school district size of over 14,000 students and works with the districts school safety committees. Eric plans with the District and school crisis teams and participates in ongoing crisis management planning and training. These program elements allow students and staff to share the responsibility as guardians of safety in their schools.

 Prior to working with the Fort Smith Public Schools Eric was a Sergeant with the Barling Police Department for 10 years.  Eric is also a part-time II officer with the Logan County Sheriff's Department and has been a Police Officer for over 16 years. Eric is a graduate of Paris High School and is also a graduate of the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy Class 95B. Eric has been married for 16 years and has two sons.

personel bio pic Officer Phil Blaylock - SRO Morrilton Police Department

Bio Coming Soon

personel bio pic Officer Russ Manning - Jonesboro Police Department

Bio Coming Soon

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Ms. Otistene Smith - Federal Programs Liaison Division of Learning Services - School Improvement Arkansas Department of Education

 
Mrs. Otistene Smith plays an integral role within the Division of Learning Services/School Improvement Unit at the Department of Education (ADE). She is a Program Coordinator, for Arkansas Comprehensive School Improvement Plan Federal unit (ACSIP-Federal). Mrs. Smith has worked with the Department for 21 years in various positions such as: Public School Administrative Advisor, Program Support Manager-Coordinated School Health Program (CSHP), and Standards Assurance Specialist-School Improvement Unit, where she did on campus standard reviews by visiting and monitoring school districts statewide assuring standardswere in compliance with reviews of Title I, IIA, IV, V and VI Programs. 

Mrs. Smith continues to work with Title I and Title IV Safe and Drug Free Schools and is immediately involved with Federal Programs Complaint resolutions received from organizations, parents and schools. She is a member of many committees such as: Mid-south Prevention Institute, State Grievance Review, Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) State Incentive Grant, Arkansas Safe Schools Association, and Advisory Boards.

 
Prior to working with ADE, Mrs. Smith was a Public Health Educator Supervisor, with the Arkansas Department of Health here in Little Rock. Mrs. Smith worked nine (9) years for this department. 

Mrs. Smith is a product of Crossett High School, Crossett, Arkansas. She received her Bachelor of Science and Master’s Degrees at the University of Central Arkansas, Conway, Arkansas. Her area of studies is Health Education, with a minor in General Science and her Master of Science in School Health Education with an allied area in School Administration

 

personel bio pic Cpt. James Virden - SRO Lincoln County Sheriffs Department

James Virden has been in law enforcement for 14 years and has served 8 years being involved in school based law enforcement.  He started as an SRO at Watson Chapel School District and was assigned to the Junior High School in Pine Bluff.  James left the Pine Bluff Police Department and went to the Lincoln County Sheriff Department and was assigned to implement the SRO program for the Star City School District.  He is a G.R.E.A.T. instructor and also teaches the Netsmartz curriculum through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He is involved with the middle school and helps teach a CSI course for the 7th grade students.  He collaborated with the EAST lab at the high school and assisted with the filming for the Choices video.  This video was filmed by the Arkansas State Police and distributed throughout the state dealing with the topic of Underage Drinking.   James also assists with coaching track and field for the JR High and High School at Star City School District

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Dwayne Yarbrough - Senior Law Instructor Arkansas Attorney Generals Office Community Relations Division

 

Dwayne Yarbrough is employed as the Sr. Law Education Instructor for the Arkansas Office of the Attorney General--Dustin McDaniel. He has been with the Attorney General’s Office for nearly 16 years.  He helped to develop, presents and provides training for the youth oriented prevention and education program, Smart Choices, Better Chances. It is a law education program designed to help youth, youth leaders, law enforcement officials, educators and parents statewide have a better understanding of Arkansas’ criminal justice system with an emphasis on juvenile crime. As a program lecturer he has spoken at numerous violence prevention, gang awareness and drug education conferences in and out of state.  He also has given motivational lectures to a variety of groups and associations including but not limited to civic, religious, working, and youth oriented entities. He has served on numerous committees serving youth improvement and prevention concepts. Dwayne is also a part-time II police officer with the Jacksonville Police Department. Dwayne was raised in Little Rock and attended Little Rock public schools.  He is a proud graduate of Little Rock Central High School and he completed his undergraduate education at Arkansas Tech University earning a B.A. in Communications/Journalism.  He is the father of two, a son (Brandon) and a daughter (Brianna). He currently resides in Jacksonville, AR

 

personel bio pic

Cpl. Jason Watson - SRO Arkadelphia Police Department
 
Bio Coming Soon

 

CJI Staff Support:

personel bio pic Larance Johnson - Safe Schools Initiative Coordinator

Bio Coming Soon

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Tim Seay - SRO Deputy Coordinator -Criminal Justice Institute

Tim Seay has over ten years of experience as a law enforcement officer with the Searcy Police Department, which includes working as a school resource officer for nine years at Searcy High School. Additionally, Tim was the liaison between the police department and the school district and assisted in the development and implementation of the departments SRO program. He has extensive experience in developing school safety curricula and is a national certified instructor for the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO). Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Tim graduated from Harding University in 1993 with a B.A. Degree in Youth Ministry & Bible and is currently adjunct teaching in the Criminal Justice program at Harding. Tim worked as youth minister for 7 years before beginning his law enforcement career in 1999. Tim has been a member of the National Association of School Resource Officers since 2001 and was awarded the Humanitarian Service Award from the Searcy PD in 2001 as well as “Officer of the Year” in 2004. Tim graduated from the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy class of 1999 C, has over 1,000 training hours and currently holds a Senior Law Enforcement Certificate. Tim has been married for 17+ years and has two sons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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