by Laurika Pich ‘27

As the 2024-2025 school year commences, MCPS school leaders are exploring new security measures and policies in response to increasing safety concerns. Incidents have occurred in recent years, including bomb threats, student arrests for bringing guns to school, and altercations at football games. The recent high school shooting in Georgia, which resulted in the death of two students and two teachers, has intensified parent concerns even further.

Montgomery County Police Acting Assistant Chief David McBain emphasizes the importance of comprehensive safety measures. Doing so would demonstrate the goal to ensure safety “inside the school, outside the school, around the schools, and obviously, to provide safe routes to school,” comments McBain in an interview with Moco 360. This commitment is shared by new Superintendent Thomas Taylor, who has school safety in MCPS as his “No. 1 priority”.

Taylor’s approach focuses on improving emergency preparedness through active communication and collaboration. Former police chief Marcus Jones, serving as the head of security and compliance for MCPS, is developing a culture that emphasizes collective responsibility in every faculty member and other employee in maintaining a safe environment, stating “We’re all in this together.” In the process, MCPS is developing enhanced training for students and staff on school safety procedures to ensure that everyone is well-prepared for potential emergencies.

In addition to protocols, the planning includes new security enhancements. The measures consist of refining the system’s response to bomb threats, implementing a student identification program across all high schools by November 2024, installing vape detectors in high school bathrooms, blocking access to social media on the MCPS network, and launching a pilot program to restrict cell phone use during school hours. Metal detectors are a key consideration for placement in district schools as well, a measure already used in nearby Prince George’s county.

While these upgrades are in the preliminary stages and require careful budgeting, it will be a significant change in how schools address security.