Keeping Allen Parish schools safe is a top priority, according to School Board President Karen Reed.

Reed, recently re-elected to her second year as board president, emphasized that the board’s focus is on “continuing to make our schools safe and provide the best education for our students.”

Reed stated that she will continue to collaborate with Superintendent Brad Soileau and other leaders to prioritize school safety and security as the spring semester begins.

“We want to make sure we do what is best for our students,” she said.

According to Reed, Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance, Transportation and Special Services Kenney Courville has been actively working to enhance security and safety plans for all schools. This includes an initiative to increase the number of school resource officers.

“We are working to add extra school resource offices where they are needed,” she said.

Currently, there is one school resource officer in each town – Oakdale, Oberlin, Kinder, Elizabeth, Reeves and Fairview. However, Superintendent Brad Soileau said the school board is looking to add one additional school resource officer in both Oakdale and Kinder due to their campuses being spread across multiple sites.

“If the officer is at one school and something happens at the other one, they will have to get there,” Reed said. “It would benefit us to have additional officers in these towns.”

Additionally, the school district is seeking grants and other funding to install walk-through metal detectors on school campuses.

“We want to make sure all our students pass through them every day,” Reed said, emphasizing the importance of metal detectors.

Reed affirmed that the school board, which includes several retired educators, will continue working together to ensure the safety of students, staff and visitors on campuses.

She also noted that the district remains focused on improving academic test scores.

Allen Parish was among the top 10 school systems in the state for growth from 2023-2024, ranking eighth in district performance score improvement. The district saw a 3.5 percent growth and maintained its B letter grade.

“We increased our growth, which is a good thing, especially after all the students being out of school because of COVID.” she said.

While changes to accountability are forthcoming, Reed assured that administrators are aware of the changes and what students and teachers need to know.