Following the reported rape of a 16-year-old female student on the Lakeside campus last week, the school district's superintendent said Tuesday that stronger security measures are planned, including the addition of two full-time Hot Springs police officers and more security cameras.
Lakeside currently employs one full-time Hot Springs police officer and has 134 security cameras spread across campus.
At a news conference Tuesday at the school district's administration building to discuss the measures, Superintendent Shawn Cook said a police officer was within 30 yards of Lakeside Ram Field House when the incident reportedly occurred there on Feb. 24, and a total of three officers were at the district directing after-school traffic at the time.
School dismissed at 3 p.m. that day, and school administrators were also outside, working traffic duty.
Cook said the district had spoken with the company contracted to install cameras in the facility on the same day the 16-year-old female student-athlete was reportedly sexually assaulted in the field house by two 14-year-old male students. Lakeside completed renovations to the field house in December and had not yet installed cameras pending the resolution of a connectivity problem.
"We are adding four cameras to this facility (Ram Field House)," Cook said. "We are just trying to have a high awareness of everybody by looking at facilities and what we can and cannot secure."
In the wake of the incident, the school district's administration plans to conduct follow-up assemblies with students to reinforce traveling in pairs or groups, awareness of their surroundings, and reporting anything that appears dangerous to the school's tip line.
"In our elementary, middle and high school, we have programs where we talk about stranger danger, absences, and an abstinence program that talks about rape and assault," Cook said. "We talk about always making sure to walk everywhere in pairs and we try to educate our kids to be conscientious about their surroundings."
Parents received an alert notifying them of the incident after a news release and an affidavit were sent to the media by the Hot Springs Police Department on Monday.
Until further information is received from Garland County Juvenile Court, the district is not allowing the two male students on campus, Cook said. The two entered not guilty pleas Tuesday in juvenile court. They remain in custody at the Garland County Juvenile Detention Center.
Arkansas State Police and Hot Springs Police Department started an investigation after the female student told a teacher about the assault the following day. The principal, teacher and officer reported it to law enforcement, and the two male students were arrested Friday on warrants for rape, a felony punishable by up to life in prison if they are charged as adults.
According to the affidavit, the female student had entered the field house and was forced into the girl's locker room by the male students, who turned the locker room lights off and stood behind her, removing her backpack, and held her to prevent her from moving and refused to let her go when she asked them to release her.
The female student alleged the two males sexually assaulted her as she attempted to break free. After approximately two minutes, she was able to escape their hold and she fled outside the field house.
"Usually we have all of our coaches there," Cook said. "We have the coaches' offices directly across from the dressing rooms. What happened that particular day was that during seventh period we have athletics, and the young lady came to practice after school when all the kids were being dismissed. The teams were already outside."
Approximately 3,400 students from kindergarten to 12th grade attend Lakeside School District.
"I haven't talked to the kids myself," Cook said. "I can imagine that they are probably in shock. I can't say that anything like this has happened here."
Local on 03/02/2016