by Lauren Hill ‘22

Recently, MCPS announced that the fiscal budget for this year  would no longer include funding for student resource officers (SROs), after the SRO program was called into question by community members for potentially doing more harm than good. The County will no longer have armed officers in any schools. Instead of the SRO program, County Executive Marc Elrich as well representatives from the school district, health department, and County Council announced a new plan called the “Re-imagining School Safety and Students’ Well-Being Initiative,” which will focus on addressing student safety and health in schools. 

The SRO program, which has placed armed police officers in Montgomery County schools, has existed for 19 years. Officers have been responsible for conducting investigations, preventing crime, breaking up fights, and preparing for emergencies. However, the program has been a topic of controversy, as many students and activists argue that SROs can contribute to negative relationships between students of color and law enforcement. “Young People for Progress” is a group dedicated to increasing and supporting youth involvement in politics and social justice issues, and they have led the push to take police officers out of schools.  

“There is a difference between funding a program that does nothing but criminalize and traumatize black and brown students versus funding a program that actually affects their learning, that supports their mental and emotional and physical well being,” Lauren Payne, a former student at Richard Montgomery Highschool and President of Young People for Progress, stated at a public hearing regarding the SRO program.

While students and county council members have voiced concerns about the program, some members of the community believe that the SROs are a necessary and positive measure that protects all students. Some Montgomery County teachers have voiced their beliefs that resource officers ensure the safety of students and staff and act as a positive role model for students. Matt Waas, a teacher at Seneca Valley, argued that officers “give us concrete understanding of situations we would not normally know how to deal with but could potentially one day experience.”

Despite the controversy surrounding resource officers, the County Council decided at the beginning of this school year that no schools will have police officers stationed inside school buildings. Officers will now only patrol in areas surrounding schools, and these officers will have no direct contact with school administrators. Instead, any calls for assistance in schools will go directly to non-emergency lines or 911. 

Along with the removal of SROs from schools, Montgomery County council members also plan on adding safety measures to better the health and mental well being of students. With less funding going to resource officers, MCPS has decided to use part of the $112 million that it received from the American Rescue Plan to hire 50 social workers. The county has not finalized all plans for new programs, as there has been  much criticism surrounding how MCPS will address student’s safety and mental and physical well being without the SRO program. Elrich along with county council members launched the “Re-imagining School Safety and Students’

Well being initiative”  which is set to be completed for review by the superintendent and county executives by the end of September.