The Little Rock School District wants to install 200 security sensors in its school locker rooms, devices capable of picking up vape smoke, fighting, vandalism and even someone shouting for help. The district has applied for close to $1 million in federal funding to make it happen, with the money expected to also cover 100 warning signs alerting students and staff that the devices are in use.
Nearly $1 Million Request to the Justice Department
Linda Young, the district's director of grants, told the Little Rock School Board that the district applied for close to $1 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The grant application is meant to support both the purchase and installation of the sensors, and the district plans to use the funds to put up 100 signs notifying people that the devices are in use. If approved, the grant would cover 90% of the costs to install the sensors and signs, per the same report.
William El-Amin, the district's director of safety and security, said the planned sensors can detect THC smoke, vaping, fighting and vandalism noise, and emergency words including help. He said the sensors will be capable of notifying building staff, for example, upon detecting vaping. District staff may also access the recordings when investigating specific incidents, such as a parent's complaint, the station's report notes. El-Amin added that there hasn't been, to his knowledge, any privacy issues as it pertains to the audio coming from the locker room.
A State Law Born of a Bullying Scandal
The push comes as the district works to comply with Act 908 of 2025, commonly known as Eli's Law, which requires Arkansas public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools to install audio recording devices in every locker room and changing room beginning with the 2027-28 school year, according to Act 908 of the Regular Session. The law also requires a sign in a conspicuous place in each locker room and changing room notifying individuals that a recording device is present. Eli's Law was passed in 2025 in response to a 2024 bullying scandal involving Quitman Junior High's football team, where students reported locker-room bullying and sexual harassment including humping, whipping, and shooting with BB guns, the Democrat-Gazette's reporting shows.
The fallout from that case is still unfolding. The Arkansas State Board of Education suspended coach Danny Marrs' license twice, saying he failed to appropriately supervise students and report the behavior to the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline when first informed. On Thursday, the board postponed a decision to lift Marrs' suspension after board members criticized his written reflections.
Recording Rules and Who Can Request Them
Under the law, schools must keep audio recordings for at least 90 days and generally no longer than 12 months, except when wrongdoing is claimed, per Act 908. School administrators, parents, or guardians may request recordings when presenting an allegation of wrongdoing for which the recording may be evidence. Schools must also give 10 days' notice on their websites before destroying a recording.
Other Districts Racing the Same Deadline
Little Rock isn't the only district scrambling to meet the 2027-28 deadline. The Pulaski County Special School Board approved a $121,981 contract earlier this month with a local company to install audio recording devices in school locker rooms, the Democrat-Gazette reported separately. Other districts across the state are also in planning mode: Gentry School District said it is currently researching available technology devices to best meet the requirements of the new law, according to the Westside Eagle Observer. Decatur School District superintendent Steven Watkins said he expected changes adding audio recording to the district's existing locker-room vape sensors to be made in May or June 2027, while Gravette Public Schools said it had begun making internal network improvements to reach all of the areas it will need to add the additional technology.
