CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia has selected a chief state school safety officer in an effort to increase security at all 55 county school districts.

Ron Arthur was introduced to the state Board of Education last week. He was officially named last month as the School Safety and Security Administrator for the new state Division of Protective Services, School Safety and Security Division within the state Department of Homeland Security. Gun Safe Biometric

The role is pursuant to Gov. Jim Justice’s School Safety Initiative announced in Oct. 2022 following the Robb Elementary School massacre in Uvalde, Tx.

The goal of the program is to use $2 million dollars to ensure quick law enforcement response times and make sure every public school in West Virginia follows the same safety procedures.

Arthur said he’s honored to serve and protect students across the state.

“In my opinion, our most valuable people are our children. To keep these kids safe in a world that’s probably going in the wrong direction is a job and a challenge I think God that I’m put here for,” he said.

Arthur said he’s hired six School Safety and Security Officers that will cover six regions to establish and maintain unified emergency response plans.

“Each of these six guys has a region. They’re touching base with these schools. There’s three areas I think we’ll be able to help right off the bat. Detection and prevention being two of them and the third one being mitigation,” he said.

The new officers are well-known in the community, Arthur said.

“These guys in these areas already have relationships with the schools, with the people. They’re knowledgeable,” he said.

Arthur told board members while he can’t predict when tragedy can occur, he says he pledges to always be at the ready to make sure students and staff are safe in the classroom. He hopes other states will look to West Virginia as a model state.

“It is my goal that in a couple of years other states will say ‘we want to do what they’re doing.’ Every parent in West Virginia that understands what we’re doing will thank God that their kids are in school here,” he said.

Arthur has 27 years of law enforcement experience including 25 years as a trooper with the West Virginia State Police and two years as the Chief of Police in Winfield.

Arthur finished his career as the captain of the State Police Special Operations which oversees school safety in terms of training and response.

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