GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Parents and community members in Montgomery County are saying that it is time that the public school system return to the SRO program that has been replaced by what is being called CEO 2.0.
In April, Montgomery County Public Schools reintroduced a form of police officer presence. In this revised plan, officers are now referred to as Community Engagement officers. Unlike how SROs would typically be assigned to a school, CEOs do not have permanent everyday placement inside of schools and instead have workstations. CEOs patrol several school clusters and only address "serious incidents" like assaults and weapons offenses.
"The program should have never been pulled. It was pulled for political reason. There is nothing to say that the SRO program did not work," says Noga who spoke at a school safety forum Thursday evening.
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Noga says safety has been a top of mind issue since the Jan. 21 shooting at Magruder High School that critically wounded a 15-year old student.
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Former and current CEOs shared their testimonies during the community event, as well as retired and current educators like Paint Branch High School principal Dr. Afie Mirsah who expressed concerns that officers are being spread too thin under the CEO 2.0 program.
"We need all the resources we can get as principals as we address the needs of our communities. We need the mental health resources but we also need the support of the CEOs that can be there to establish relationships," said Mirsah who added that she is willing to hear those against the presence of uniformed officers in schools.
The CEO at Paint Branch High School, Brandon McCloud, shared that the revised plan makes it difficult to establish relationships with his students which he said are crucial not only in safety situations, but also for the youth's development.
"There is 2,200 students in our school. 2,200 people is a lot of people and issues are bound to occur because students, their brains are not fully developed and they make poor decisions and we are there to counsel and help mentor them," said McCloud.
Montgomery County Public Schools has not given any indication about a potential change in their security program related to CEOs. This group says they will continue to hold forums to inform residents of the benefits of police officers in schools, hoping that they can create enough pressure to see the return of SROs.