By Adam Pagnucco.
MCPS once had school resource officers (SROs) stationed at high schools. Three years ago, County Executive Marc Elrich announced that he was removing SROs from schools despite their unanimous support from MCPS principals. With crime rising afterwards, the county and MCPS developed a new community engagement officer (CEO) program to bring police back to schools a year later. Former Bethesda Beat reporter Caitlynn Peetz recounted that history and explained the differences between SROs and CEOs in this April 2022 article.
With concern over crime inside and outside schools still on the minds of residents, the question of police in schools remains an issue. Let’s find out how the candidates see it.
Question: Should police officers be stationed inside high schools? Should they be stationed inside middle schools? And if they are stationed inside any schools, how should they interact with students?
Lynne Harris, At-Large (Incumbent): The school to prison pipeline is real, and Maryland’s data around the incarceration of young men of color, and the amount of money we spend incarcerating versus educating, is among the worst in the nation. Any conversation about police in schools must be grounded in that reality.
Rita Montoya, At-Large: There is also no clear consensus among teachers, staff, administrators, students and families. It is also important to recognize that some have a legitimate fear of law enforcement and a fully outfitted officer inside of a school every day may trigger those fears. I think we need to engage with each school community (starting at the high school level) to find out from administrators, the security team, teachers, staff, students and parents/caregivers about what is working and not working to determine what approach is right for that school. If police officers are stationed in schools, we must ensure that community-oriented officers are selected; that they are trained in anti-racist and anti-biased methods; and that their approach and appearance is not fear-inducing. To truly ensure safety in our schools, we must provide students with what they need to learn and stay motivated to succeed. If elected, I will fight for fully staffing schools with the teachers, para-educators and social workers they need; sufficient resources and instructional supplies for robust instruction delivery; and access to extracurriculars like safe, well stocked workout rooms, internships and cultural arts opportunities like Theatre.
Brenda Diaz, District 2: Yes, police officers should be stationed inside high schools and middle schools. As a former Social Studies teacher at Gaithersburg High School when School Resource Officers were still present in our building, I remember the positive relationships the officers formed with students and teachers. School Resource Officers served as mentors and role models to our students. MCAAP’s letter to the Board of Education affirmed their presence in our schools when they proclaimed their importance in meeting the Safe to Learn Act of 2018. Community Engagement Officers currently serve a cluster of schools. Therefore, “officers who may be called to a school (and who are not a part of the SRO program) most likely do not have that history or a collaborative and positive relationship with the student body.” We want MCPS to “truly [be] a system that builds and appreciates relational community,” as Dr. Christine Handy noted on behalf of MCAAP. Unfortunately, MCPS has not released the 2023-2024 School Safety & Security at a Glance report, only that for 2021-2002. However, with teachers anonymously reporting a string of major fights at Clarksburg High School and another report of a student arrested for bringing a loaded gun to Gaithersburg High School, the question arises of whether the rise in violence in our schools would leave MCPS in violation of the Safe to Learn Act of 2018. It is clear that safety must be a priority for the Board.
Natalie Zimmerman, District 2: I do not support the use of School Resource Officers (SROs) in any MCPS schools. The Maryland Safe to Learn Act of 2018 requires that schools are provided adequate law enforcement coverage – not that SROs are required to be in each building. The National Association of School Resource Officers reported in 2021 that over 68% of the SROs surveyed stated that they saw law enforcement as their main role and mentorship as a second aspect – despite any Memorandums of Understanding their schools may have written. This data supports the idea that SROs are part of the school to prison pipeline. Instead of SROs, there needs to be a greater number of mental health supports for students. MCPS is currently not meeting the nationally recommended guidelines for school counselors, school psychologists, or social workers and meeting these guidelines should be the first step in schools. Students deserve support not shackles.
Shebra Evans, District 4 (Incumbent): The School Resource Officers were removed from schools. Community Engagement Officers (CEOs) are working with school principals, security team leads to work to build community, understand what it means to be culturally responsive, know what a trauma-informed response looks like, learn our code of conduct and learn restorative practices and more. Schools, students, families and staff should understand and know what a safe school environment looks and feels like. The school system is responsible for providing it. The work continues in this area. An update on the CEO program is necessary to have out in the community. I would like to hear or have a broader conversation with staff, students, families, and security staff on what’s working and/or ways to improve. The conversation is actually much bigger then CEOs. Our students are faced with challenges both in and out of school and collaborating with community partners will be key.
Laura Stewart, District 4: MCPS needs more security and preventative measures to keep kids and staff safe in school. I propose School Safety and Climate Teams composed of the entire school community to develop school safety plans to be submitted to the Superintendent. These plans should assess the need for more security officers, cameras, vape detectors, bathroom safety measures, level of coordination with community engagement officers (CEO’s) and the need for more CEO’s if there are certain hotspots.
On the preventative side, an assessment should be performed on the need for mediation services, mental health services, addiction therapy, family support, and after-school activities. Healthy school climate can also be a factor in keeping kids safe from bullying. There should be more training and programs on antisemitism, islamophobia, LGBTQ+ bigotry, and racism.
The CEO model should be enhanced rather than returning to the SRO model. That model did not guarantee coverage all day at all schools (some worked four day weeks) and when they had an office inside schools, police were used for discipline too often. Principals need to be able to call CEO’s into schools when needed, and those police officers should have a relationship with the schools they serve.
Next: teacher salary transfers.
Prior questions: boundary review, grading policy, electric bus contract, MCPS’s biggest problem, experience with budgets, on the incumbents, opt outs for parents.