By Adam Pagnucco.
Here is today’s question.
Should school resource officers be stationed inside MCPS schools?
District 1
Drew Morrison (D)
Yes, I support returning School Resource Officers to MCPS high schools. We must improve the safety of our school buildings for our students, educators, and families. Doing so requires a broad approach: funding behavioral health and counseling services for youth and teenagers, providing support and guidance to those facing difficult life challenges, and making sure that we deliver on early interventions. School Resource Officers are not a panacea, but are effective at supplying guidance, mentorship, and a trusted adult youth can rely on to help manage disputes or challenging situations.
Debbie Spielberg (D)
School safety is critically important, and it must be approached in a way that supports students and fosters a positive learning environment. I believe decisions about school resource officers should be made in close consultation with educators, parents, and students.
I support prioritizing investments in mental health services, counselors, and restorative practices, which address the root causes of many issues. Any decision about SROs should be part of a broader, balanced approach to school safety that centers student wellbeing.
Reardon “Sully” Sullivan (R)
Yes. Ensuring the safety and security of students and staff must be a top priority, and school resource officers can play an important role in maintaining a safe learning environment and establishing relationships with students and staff before problems arise.
Julie Yang (D)
Yes, I believe School Resource Officers (SRO) can be part of a comprehensive, layered school safety strategy. Currently, we use a Community Engagement Office (CEO) system in which CEOs are assigned to schools; they can only access a station in the school building and cannot move around the building to interact with students. It is challenging to get to know students for prevention and relationship building.
Safety is the foundation for learning. In February, we saw a shooting at Thomas S. Wootton High School. What started as an argument escalated in seconds. One student injured is one too many, and we have a responsibility to act.
A strong school culture matters. “See something, say something” saves lives. But culture alone is not enough. We need a layered approach: secure entrances, working cameras, trained security staff, and collaboration with consistent, professional law enforcement.
When done right, SROs are about safety and relationships. They can build trust with students, deter escalation, and respond immediately when needed.
At the same time, this must be done thoughtfully. Clear roles, proper training, and accountability are essential to maintain community trust. They are not there for behavior management and discipline.
This is not about one solution. It’s about using every tool responsibly to keep our students safe.
District 2
Marilyn Balcombe (D-Incumbent)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Arian Borghei (R-Write-in)
Yes, as part of a balanced approach to school safety. Properly trained school resource officers can build positive relationships with students while providing an added layer of security.
This should be done in collaboration with educators and parents to ensure a safe, supportive environment not a punitive one.
District 3
Jud Ashman (D)
Yes. In fact, when the County Council was debating whether or not to remove School Resource Officers (SROs) from our schools, I joined every high school principal in this county – which is to say the people we all trust the most with the day-to-day safety of our kids – in testifying publicly that we should keep them.
I’ve heard many in the community tie the County’s decision to remove SROs with several school shootings that have happened since, most recently at Wootton High School. We can never actually know if an SRO stationed at those schools would’ve prevented these awful events.
What I do know and have seen firsthand is that:
- SROs can enhance school safety;
- The program helps build bridges and trust between the community and the police departments that serve them; and
- At its best, it presents policing as a potential career path at a time when many departments across the country are having a hard time recruiting new officers.
I’ve had the opportunity to see the SRO program at its best here in Gaithersburg. I know how much a good SRO can mean to our students and school communities. And we need to bring them back.
Allison Eriksen (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Ricky Fai Mui (R)
I support School Resource Officers back in all of our MCPS facilities. Since 2021, we have seen increasing school violence, there have been consistent reports of drug usage inside or around the schools, weekly or bi-weekly reports of bullying or fighting, and persistent truancy across the county. No parent wants the possibility of a catastrophic event, where an SRO becomes necessary, but existing safety concerns are placing our community’s children at risk. I have been at multiple schools where active shooter or major disturbance drills have taken place, quite similar to ‘Duck and Cover’ drills when I was an adolescent. And as a military veteran, I have led active shooter and security drills in the Navy, thus, I only want the fastest response to minimize casualties. As we cut SRO numbers, these roles are also cut from the MCPD budget. Overall, our children’s lives are all at risk when drugs, fighting or worse are taking place at schools, where school administration can choose which situations to address. We can all hope and support our parents and guardians in staying proactive in guiding their kids; but when negative actions threaten our children, we cannot sweep criminal activity under the rug.
Izola Shaw (D)
The question of whether school resource officers should be stationed inside MCPS schools is complex and deeply tied to community values, safety concerns, and student well being. It involves balancing the need for a secure environment with the importance of fostering a supportive and inclusive atmosphere where students feel safe and respected. Different stakeholders, including students, parents, educators, law enforcement, and mental health professionals, often have varying perspectives based on their experiences and priorities. Any discussion around this topic should carefully consider data, community input, and the broader goals of education and safety to arrive at a thoughtful approach that best serves all members of the school community.
District 4
Paula Bienenfeld (D)
This depends on the individual school communities and principals. Some school communities have asked for SROs inside schools while others do not want them. This is a difficult question to answer with a universal “yes” or “no”. If located within the schools the SROs must have been trained in working with teens, in de-escalation and conflict resolution. Partnering with SROs must include mental health support in the schools and the effort to work with parents/guardians and prevention programs.
Kate Stewart (D-Incumbent)
During a recent Council briefing with our Department of Health and Human Services, MCPS, and the Police Department, we discussed how there is not one solution to address safety concerns. We must think holistically at how we are preventing incidents from occurring, as well as ensure there is the proper staff in place when something does happen. As we continue these discussions, I want us to carefully consider how we best address safety concerns and make sure we are hearing from a range of students and families about their needs and how we can best address them.
I continue to have concerns about the well documented data that demonstrate racial disparities in outcomes for students of color. In addition, I have heard from students and families regarding the increase in federal immigration enforcement, and that while they understand our local police do not enforce federal immigration policies, the idea of more law enforcement in the schools negatively impacts their mental wellness rather than making them feel safer.
Peter “Rocky” Whitesell (D)
I do not think that simply bringing back the old system of essentially police embedded in schools would be a positive step forward. That resulted in a very split experience where some students felt safer, while others felt targeted or discriminated against.
I do think the need for safety and rapid response can be met with a differently defined role. I would support a program where there is an on-site presence specifically for first response to serious incidents such as violence or intruders, with a mandate focused on stabilizing situations rather than enforcement. That role should not involve routine discipline, investigations, or arrests, and situations that rise to that level should be handled by responding police rather than an embedded officer.
The role would need to be tightly defined and enforced, with training and explicit authority focused on de-escalation and working with students. Without those guardrails, it would just fall into the same traps as SROs again, and I will not support anything where I believe the structure will trend towards that.
District 5
Charles Kirchman (D)
I would say that we should not have school resource officers stationed in our schools and that the current system of roving officers assigned to a cluster of schools is a cost-efficient strategy. However, when I see the county providing million dollar grants annually to non-profits for safety and security, I have to question why are we then short changing our children by not providing them enhanced security with school resource officers?
Kristin Mink (D-Incumbent)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Josephine Salazar (R)
I fully support School Resource Officers inside MCPS schools. Students are the first to alert a SRO when there is a problem. The SRO can diffuse a problem before it escalates.
District 6
Natali Fani-González (D-Incumbent)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Sonia Garcia (D)
This is a decision that must involve genuine input from students, parents, teachers, and school communities, and the right answer may differ across schools. I do not believe in a blanket mandate either way.
We are living in unprecedented times, and the recent shooting at Wootton made clear that parents need to feel confident their children are safe when they walk through those doors each day. A trusted, accountable presence on campus can provide that peace of mind.
The key word is trusted. When I was in school, our security staff built real relationships with students, and that created both respect and genuine safety. I would prioritize officers who are community-based, ideally with mental health training or experience working within the school’s community, so students feel supported by someone who understands where they come from.
Any law enforcement presence in schools must never disproportionately criminalize Black and Brown students, students with disabilities, or students experiencing mental health crises, all of whom are overrepresented in school discipline data. If SROs are present, their roles must be clearly defined, focused on genuine safety rather than student discipline, and subject to real community oversight. SROs must never substitute for counselors, mental health resources, and restorative practices that address the root causes of school conflict.
School safety requires a comprehensive approach: mental health support, strong anti-bullying systems, community-based safety staff, and accountability. The presence in our schools should reflect the communities those schools serve.
Louella Tham (R)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
District 7
Van Free (D)
I support having trained school resource officers in schools as part of a broader safety strategy. Their presence can help build relationships with students, deter potential threats, and ensure a rapid response in emergencies.
However, their role must be clearly defined and focused on safety—not discipline. We also need strong training in youth engagement and de-escalation.
School safety should be layered, including mental health resources, secure facilities, and community involvement. SROs are one piece of that approach.
Sharif Hidayat (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Dawn Luedtke (D-Incumbent)
I have advocated for the return of SROs to MCPS high schools since running for Council in 2022 given my expertise in school safety and violence prevention. In my role prior to joining the Council I trained SROs and school security employees in every jurisdiction in Maryland in the State’s mandatory model curriculum, which I also helped develop. Montgomery County made a mistake in removing SROs, establishing unhelpful policies in the MOU governing their work which provides far too much discretion to MCPS administrators and teachers on issues which are not what they are trained to do (investigation of crime), and which has created a less collaborative, less problem-solving environment over time. SROs have never had the ability to enforce or administer school discipline – that has always been solely a function of teachers and administrators. SROs provide an important and trusted way to identify and resolve problems early, without needing to make an arrest, and in a way that focuses on collaborative intervention and support with school staff, security, and administrators. Schools are a microcosm of the community, and we need to be committed to protecting all residents both inside and outside of our school buildings with equal fidelity.
Harold Maldonado (R)
I support placing School Resource Officers (SROs) in MCPS schools as part of a broader commitment to student safety, particularly in light of the rising threat of school shootings and increasing incidents of gun-related violence affecting school communities across the county.
Schools should be the safest places in our county, and that requires a visible, trained, and immediate law enforcement presence capable of responding in seconds—not minutes—during a crisis.
Recent years have shown that threats to school safety are not theoretical. Across the county, schools have faced lockdowns, weapon incidents, and violent threats that require rapid response. In those moments, SROs serve as a critical line of defense, providing deterrence, preparedness, and real-time protection for students and staff.
A properly implemented SRO program should ensure officers are trained to work in school environments, build positive relationships with students, and prioritize de-escalation when appropriate. But their most essential role is clear: to respond decisively to serious threats and protect lives when emergencies occur. This is not about criminalizing students or turning schools into police stations. It is about recognizing reality. In an era of heightened school security risks, MCPS cannot afford delays or gaps in response capacity.