Gentry and Rogers school districts prepare for new locker-room audio recording requirement

ARKANSAS — Starting with the 2027–28 school year, public schools across Arkansas will be required to install audio recording devices in locker rooms and changing areas under a new state law.

Eli’s Law, which became Act 908 in 2025, requires public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to install audio recording devices in covered locker rooms and changing rooms. Video recording is prohibited, and schools must post signs notifying students and others that audio recording is taking place.

The law is intended to give schools another tool to investigate incidents that happen in areas where video surveillance cannot be used.

For schools in the area, preparation is already underway.

Mark Scott, director of community engagement for Gentry Public Schools, said the district is still in the early stages of the process, including talking with vendors and determining what equipment will be needed.

“We’re moving towards implementing what was created through Eli’s Law, which is establishing audio recordings in all our locker rooms,” Scott said.

Scott said several vendors have reached out to the district.

“We want to get the best price possible, but also the best equipment for the price we pay so we can fulfill what’s being asked of us,” he said.

Rogers Public Schools is also preparing for the requirement. Superintendent Dr. Jeff Perry said the district is looking at what will be needed to install the equipment and make it work in its facilities.

“It needs some hard wires into the locker room, install the necessary equipment to pick up voices and capture what’s happening in the locker rooms,” Perry said.

The cost of the new requirement

While both districts plan to comply with the law, the cost of installing the systems is one of the concerns.

Scott described the requirement as an unfunded mandate.

“It is an unfunded mandate,” Scott said. “It is a requirement from the state that money is not being provided for it.”

Scott said Gentry is trying to figure out how to meet the requirement while also being responsible with taxpayer dollars.

Why the law was created

Scott said he understands the reason behind the law and its goal of preventing bullying and assault in locker rooms.

“Obviously, the intent behind the law is very good to attempt to eliminate, you know, not only bullying, but assault that happens in locker rooms,” Scott said.

The law came after an abuse situation at another public school and is intended to provide schools with another tool when investigating allegations in places where video cannot be used.

Perry said he also sees the recordings as another resource for school officials.

“It does give us one more tool to analyze if there were a problem and try to identify all the individuals involved and hold people accountable for their actions,” Perry said.

But Perry said the recordings will not necessarily tell the whole story.

“Not sure we would capture everything that led up to a problem occurring,” he said.

That is why the recordings will be another tool rather than a replacement for supervision.

Supervision will still be important

Perry said Rogers already tries to have adults present when students are in locker rooms.

“In most of our locker room situations we try to have an individual in that room,” Perry said. “Only in very unique circumstances will students be left unattended.”

Perry said student transitions and times when students are not supervised are already areas school officials pay close attention to.

“We understand that anytime there is a transition of students from one room to another, that is one of our biggest discipline problems and event situations,” Perry said. “The other thing we know is that problems are created when students are unsupervised.”

Scott said Gentry also relies heavily on relationships between students, coaches and administrators.

“Most times coaches are present during locker room times,” Scott said. “Not all the times. It’s not something that’s mandatory or required.”

Scott said the district takes any complaint or allegation involving students seriously and would investigate it.

Privacy is another concern

While the goal of the law is student safety, the fact that students will be recorded while in locker rooms also raises privacy concerns.

Scott said families may not fully understand what the law will mean for their children.

“Their children who participate in athletics will be recorded at all times while they’re in locker rooms, not only here in Gentry, but when they travel and compete in athletic events at different locations,” Scott said.

Scott said students have conversations in locker rooms that may have nothing to do with athletics.

“Being a young adult like we see with our student athletes, there are a lot of conversations that happen that may not even relate to athletics that are private in nature,” he said.

The district plans to explain the changes to students before the requirement takes effect.

“There will be some training to our students to let them know that their privacy is becoming less private,” Scott said.

Scott said students may have to be more careful about what they say if they want a conversation to remain private.

“We want to protect the rights of our students to have free conversations with their friends and with their teammates and with their coaches,” he said.

“At the same time, we fully want to” prevent abuse, Scott said. “So there’s two sides of the street, and we want to be respectful to both of them.”

Questions remain about how it will work

The law requires schools to post signs notifying students that audio recording is taking place.

Scott said that could potentially affect the behavior of someone intending to harm another student.

“Someone potentially wanting to assault another student would be aware of that and could take steps to kind of hide what they were doing,” Scott said.

Scott also said the district is still waiting for additional guidance about exactly which changing areas will be covered.

“What we know it means is athletic locker rooms, athletic facilities,” he said. “Some of the things that aren’t as clear relate to rooms where students change other than athletic facilities.”

For now, the district will continue working with the Department of Education to determine how the law should be implemented.

Scott said he is not certain yet how much the recordings will ultimately do to prevent abuse.

“I’m not exactly sure how this will help alleviate the underlying problem of abuse, but we’ll take it one step at a time and see how it works,” Scott said. “Hopefully it’ll do what it’s intended to do.”

Both Gentry and Rogers are expected to continue preparing for the requirement ahead of the 2027–28 school year.

For the districts, the next steps include selecting equipment, determining how the systems will be installed and developing procedures for handling recordings once the law takes effect.

For Scott, the bottom line is that Gentry will comply with the state requirement while continuing to work through the questions surrounding cost, privacy and how the recordings will be used.

“We will fully comply with the law and be ready to go,” Scott said.