Schools try new security measures to keep kids safe

Schools throughout the Washington region are experimenting with new security systems and safety procedures to keep students safe as they return to classrooms over the next three weeks, but tight budgets are hurting some of their

plans as school systems try to make do with less.

Montgomery County Public Schools officials are outfitting each of their 200 schools with new scanning technology to check visitors. In addition to stopping guests at the front door, visitors will have their driver’s license or other identification scanned to identify the person’s relationship to a student and check their identity against the Maryland sex offender registry, according to schools spokeswoman Lesli Maxwell.

Fairfax County schools are organizing an initiative to encourage more parents to walk their kids to school, especially elementary students, in an effort to prevent pedestrian incidents near schools, said spokeswoman Mary Shaw.

Prince George’s County officials have placed police officers back into the county’s middle and high schools for the first time in years. The police, who will replace the sheriff’s deputies that have been serving as school resource officers, say the effort will improve communication between security officers inside the schools and police in surrounding neighborhoods.

Cpl. George Ross, an officer stationed at Crossland High School in Temple Hills, said students will benefit from the close interaction between police inside and outside the schools.

“You sometimes have neighborhood confrontations after hours near school grounds,” Ross said. “We’re there to make sure it doesn’t come back inside the school.”

But in Montgomery County, school resource officers are being scaled back in the wake of budget cuts. Only six Montgomery County police officers, one for each of the county’s police districts, will serve this year. There were nine officers available last year, Maxwell said.

Montgomery and Prince George’s counties’ public schools each faced steep budget cuts over the summer, while the District received a negligible funding increase.

Combined with a reduced availability of federal grants for school security, the cuts have taken a toll on security departments, according to Ken Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services.

“Prevention and security measures have been the first things put on the chopping block,” Trump said. “We’re not getting more and more calls that are reactive, not to do proactive training to work on emergency plans and prevention programs.”

Nathan Saunders, president of the Washington Teachers’ Union, told The Washington Examiner that a lack of resources and funds can exacerbate security issues. There were 70 allegations of student assaults against D.C. Public Schools teachers last year, according to officials, and those cases may grow if adequate funding isn’t provided, he said.

“The lack of professional development, the lack of support for students with complex issues, and increased class sizes are all common-sense indicators that are on the uptick,” he said. “So the chances of more violent interactions, looking forward, are increased.”

Michael Blow, director of security for Prince George’s County Public Schools, said his officers won’t be discouraged by budget cuts. The best method to keeping students safe is a show of force, he said, with police, teachers and security staff working together to greet and observe students every day as they walk into school and roam the hallways.

“It’s not just your presence, but just having positive interactions with the young people can help,” Blow said. “And not just when there’s a problem going on. It’s needs to be consistent interaction.”

Lisa Gartner contributed to this report.

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