MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) are implementing new safety and security measures following recent overdoses and antisemitic graffiti found at multiple schools in the county.
The school district has a road map for a comprehensive framework for safety and well-being that details its commitment to safe, equitable and successful schools.
MCPS says officials are working closely with staff, students, parents, and the broader community to implement a series of immediate, short-term, and long-term safety and well-being strategies.
Immediate
The school district says the immediate actions are addressing concerns for safety and well-being that are done or about to be done.
They include:
On Saturday, Feb. 25, Northwood High School will host a Fentanyl Family Forum to raise awareness of the deadly consequences of illegal fentanyl currently affecting many youths in our community. On Jan. 28, MCPS held its first Fentanyl Family Forum at Clarksburg High School.
Additional immediate strategies include:
- Deploying additional security assistants to secondary schools to assist in prevention measures and respond to safety incidents.
- Share ongoing student, staff, and family messages about safety, (Safety Message from Feb. 10, 2023—Fentanyl Awareness from Dec. 9, 2022)
- Hosting a series of sessions to hear the various perspectives of stakeholders regarding current safety and well-being and potential enhancements
- Establishing an MCPS Safety and Security and Student Well-being Advisory Group.
Short Term
Short-term strategies include evaluating and examining particular practices, policies and procedures that impact student safety and well-being.
These strategies include the following:
- Reviewing the MCPS Student Code of Conduct.
- Piloting student badges in select secondary schools.
- Evaluating the Community Engagement Officer (CEO) 2.0 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
- Providing training refreshers for staff related to emergency preparedness that includes emergency lockdown, evacuation, shelter-in-place drills, and parent-child reunification drills for students, staff, and families.
Long Term
Long-term strategies include ongoing examination of the effectiveness of the strategies.
By the beginning of the next school year, implementation of an MCPS Safety and Well-Being Framework, which will include the following:
- Placing standardized safety and security signage in all facilities
- Revising student attendance practices
- Revising the Student Code of Conduct
- Ensuring the CEO 2.0 MOU continues to meet school and district needs.
- Adding student assemblies on safety
- Adding district staff training
- Adding an emergency and safety compliance module to annual employee training.
All together now
According to MCPS, all staff members are responsible for promoting school safety and contributing to a safe, supportive, and inclusive school climate for all students and staff. MCPS stated it's equally important for families to take the time to speak with their children about expectations at school and home to inform them of unacceptable behaviors, including drugs, weapons, and violence.
As a part of the new plan, staff will increase their visual monitoring and checks inside restrooms throughout the school day, including between class periods and during lunch periods.
Latches will be installed on exterior restroom doors to ensure they remain open at all of the high schools in the county, MCPS said in a statement. Schools will limit access to designated restrooms during transition periods, after school, and during lunch periods.
The school district will continue to keep students, families, and the community informed on the steps and measures that they will continue to monitor for the spring and the end of the school year.
Additional details of the plan and timeline can be found here.