Days before students head back to class, Montgomery County, Maryland,聽unveiled new ways to keep students safe.
School leaders spent the summer planning several safety measures, Dana Edwards, chief of Districtwide Services and Supports, said.
鈥淭his summer has really been about putting structures in place, training our staff and being nimble in this particular area,鈥� she told board members at the school district鈥檚 monthly meeting Tuesday.
One of those measures included partnering with Montgomery County police to provide key fobs for school police officers 鈥� known as community engagement officers or CEOs 鈥� and easy access to classrooms.
It is a lesson the department learned from Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 students and two teachers died in a school massacre in May. Reports later revealed that police officers waited for a key to enter two classrooms, where an 18-year-old opened fire on the students and teachers.
鈥淭hat was something that came up on the heels of Uvalde,鈥� Edwards said. 鈥淲e see that as a key component.鈥�
During the summer months, CEOs also trained with the Montgomery County Police Department’s聽 SWAT teams, and the school district hired more security staff.
Ken Nelson heads up the security team at Magruder High School in Rockville. He told board members about some of the improvements at the school, where a student was hurt in a shooting last January.
鈥淲e now have a front foyer monitor,鈥� Nelson said. 鈥淎nd someone that monitors the cameras throughout the entire school day. We鈥檝e added additional camera units in areas not previously recorded.鈥�
Edwards hinted at more measures on the way during the school year.
鈥淭hroughout the year, we will continue to gain information from our security and principals to see what the needs are, as well as monitor the data,鈥� she said.
