At the Aug. 26 meeting the board voted to approve the district-wide safety plan as it stood prior to a July 24 State Education Department update that added sudden cardiac arrest language, described in the meeting as the sudden cardiac arrest annex or "Desha's Law." Business-office and safety staff said the state update required the district to add the annex language and reopen the 30-day public comment period before final approval and submission.

A board member asked whether the state provided an extension; officials said no. The district will submit the currently approved plan to meet the state’s Oct. 1 filing requirement and then reintroduce the revised plan with the sudden cardiac arrest annex for the required public review and final board approval. The annex describes a protocol to identify sudden cardiac arrest, confirm availability and use of an AED and to call 911, according to the district presentation.

The board adopted the consent agenda — which included the safety plan and other items such as gifts, contracts and hiring approvals — on a motion by Shawn Clapfer seconded by Valerie Lapham. The board recorded a vote of 6–0 in favor with one absence.

Officials also described related safety work performed over the summer: review of district-level and building-level safety plans by the health and safety committee, updates to emergency-action plans for athletics and expanded nursing office hours to support before- and after-school programming.

Ending: District staff said they will reopen the public comment period to incorporate the state-mandated sudden cardiac arrest language and will return to the board for final approval in advance of the state filing deadline.