MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - More than 160,000 students will head back to school in Montgomery County, Maryland on Tuesday. This year, there’s a push to equip the county’s 206 schools with metal detectors.
The request is coming from soon-to-be 9th grader, Katheryne Dwyer. She will start at Walt Whitman High School this week.
“As a public school student, I am horrified at the atrocities that have been committed in schools just like mine,” Katheryne Dwyer told the Montgomery County Board of Education last Thursday. “I am anxious because there is nothing to make sure my school could not be next. I propose that every school in Montgomery County have metal detectors installed in student entrances.”
She wasn’t the only one. Her younger sister, a Montgomery County middle schooler, also spoke before the board.
“I want you to know that I have had dreams in the past, dreams where I never leave the school that I entered this morning,” Caroline Dwyer said.
The two sisters mention the mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida last Valentine’s Day as a major reason for their request. Seventeen people died there.
Right after the Florida shooting, Montgomery County faced its own emergency. Eighteen-year-old Alwin Chen was caught bringing a loaded gun to school.
Chen claimed he did so for his own safety, according to court documents.
Montgomery County's Board of Education President Michael Durso is responding.
“Well actually, I have three daughters and two granddaughters so I understand the concerns with all students and family with safety,” Durso told WUSA9. “There are some school systems that have done that. There are a number of issues surrounding that – the cost, additional personnel, hardware -- but I think the biggest issue is the type of atmosphere you want at any school.”
Durso said it’s not on the official BOE agenda, but he requested a quote to see how much metal detectors would cost the county. It could be added in the future.
“I believe that most students would be willing to follow the same procedure they follow at airports of walking through an arch…and that schedules could be changed slightly to ensure the protection of students,” said Caroline Dwyer.
There is one major change this year: every grade this school year will undergo an active shooter drill. Durso said it is just one of several school safety initiatives Maryland Governor Larry Hogan pushed for Maryland following the Florida mass shooting.
