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Three聽days before a聽Watkins Mill High School聽student聽 Friday for alleged possession of a firearm on the Gaithersburg campus, Montgomery County leaders had met to discuss the issues of youth and school safety with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) officials and county police.
The聽Tuesday聽meeting聽in聽Rockville聽addressing聽the long-debated role of police officers in聽public聽schools聽came after the release of preliminary results聽from an MCPS survey that showed聽about a third of聽families, administrators聽and staff聽who responded聽said they聽want to see聽more police presence in schools.
It also followed several聽recent聽security incidents in聽schools, including聽the arrest of a聽Gaithersburg High School student in March鈥痜or鈥痑lleged聽鈥痮n school property聽and聽a聽聽at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville聽that聽left聽one student injured and another facing an聽attempted murder charge.
However, police officials聽acknowledged during Tuesday鈥檚 meeting with the County Council that the department does not have enough聽officers to place one in each of the county鈥檚聽211 schools聽on a daily basis.聽The county聽police department, like other聽departments聽in Maryland, has been facing聽
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