LRSD is weighing a district-operated police department or a more district-directed school resource officer program, rather than relying on its current arrangement.
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The board's Aug 27, 2026 agenda presented six attendance-zone options (Options 1-3, 3.5, GA, and AS) for the new West Little Rock High School opening Fall 2027, with staff recommending the board pick one option and approve a resolution establishing high-school choice and continued-enrollment provisions. No option had been finalized as of this meeting.
Nichols Strategies, the selected vendor for LRSD RFP 26-011 (Marketing/PR and Communications), formally withdrew from the engagement based on newly discovered information after the RFP process concluded. Administration was to present a preliminary recommendation on how to proceed and seek board guidance.
The Urban Collaborative completed a multi-phase, districtwide audit of LRSD's special education programs, staffing, fiscal alignment, and compliance, presenting findings and recommendations to the board in August 2026. District staff will develop a multiyear action plan in response.
The board voted 6-1 to award a public relations, marketing, and advertising contract (RFP26-011) to Nichols Strategies, finalizing a professional services agreement not to exceed $60,000 running August 2026 through February 2027, after previously postponing the decision.
The board voted 6-1 to approve Option 1, opening the new West Little Rock High School as a full 9-12 campus in its first year (Fall 2027), rather than phasing in grades gradually.
The board approved a resolution to sell the former Meadowcliff Elementary School property at 25 Sheraton Drive, with proceeds designated for a new softball field at Central High School.
The board approved a comprehensively revised Student Handbook/Code of Conduct for 2026-27, including new AI academic-dishonesty guidance, a revised cell phone policy, expanded due-process protections, and the STOPit anonymous reporting system.
Nancy Rousseau retired after more than 20 years as principal of Little Rock Central High School. On March 12, 2026, the board approved a new Executive Principal for Central High for the 2026-27 school year, chosen through a 17-member interview committee of staff, parents, students, and alumni. On July 30, 2026, the board discussed naming the school's new science building after Ms. Rousseau.
After concerns raised in fall 2025 that Central High School's softball facilities lagged far behind its baseball field, the board approved a short-term plan on May 28, 2026, and on June 25, 2026 passed a resolution committing proceeds from the sale of two district properties to build a proper softball field at Central High. The board also adopted a new policy requiring a Title IX compliance review before any future construction project.
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