Dear Maryland Education Community:
The events of February 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida have shaken every educator, parent and student to their core. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the students, families, school system and community affected by this senseless tragedy.
Student safety is of paramount concern to all of us. The safety of our children is our core value as a society and the foundation for learning in our schools.
As Chair of the governing board for the Maryland Center for School Safety, I have convened an emergency meeting of the board to take place on Monday, February 26 to ensure that every resource available is being maximized to strengthen school safety throughout our State. The Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland Center for School Safety stand ready to assist all school systems with resources, technical assistance and training in an effort to keep our children and educators safe from harm. In the near future, the Center will be holding a state-wide safety meeting to discuss key elements of school safety, including responses to an active shooter situation.
In addition, two key training events have already been scheduled for next month:
- The Center will be hosting the 2018 Maryland School Safety Initiative, in partnership with Michele Gay of Safe and Sound Schools. The subject: “Recovering the School Community in Crisis.” The trainings will take place in Worcester County on March 13, Carroll County on March 14, and Prince George’s County on March 15.
- On March 21-22, a two-day Behavioral Threat Assessment Training led by Dr. Gene Deisinger, a subject matter expert, will be held in Montgomery County, which is hosting the event.
For more information, contact Ed Clarke, Executive Director of the Maryland Center for School Safety, at 301-370-3497 or ed.clarke@
We must not only focus on improving security measures, but we must leverage local and state of Maryland services to intervene early, as well as provide supports and counseling to troubled students. We must implement and improve threat assessment teams that include experts in counseling, instruction, school administration, and law enforcement. School cultures must encourage the trust that allows for students, parents and community members to report information that may ultimately prevent a school shooting.
The MSDE and the Maryland Center for School Safety are placing the highest urgency on actions to improve school safety. Together we can unite to make our schools safe places for teaching and learning.
Sincerely,
Karen B. Salmon, Ph.D.
State Superintendent of Schools
5 comments:
I had no clue BS could be stacked so high. All these meetings and training sessions should take us all well into next school year.
How about an announcement that starting TODAY all violent social media posts showing guns and threats against any other person will result in an arrest and reported to the NICS?
How about an announcement of a program that requires all Sheriffs departments to begin CCW classes to any teachers who wish to carry in the classroom?
How about the announcement that from now on, Maryland schools will no longer be "Gun Free Zones"?
Naw... that will never happen in a Democrat run state.
Hey Karen, have you been to JMB to witness the riots, assaults, and attempted rapes? Where are you about the thugs destroying the educational opportunities for the 95% of the good kids? Shut your trap vial liberal.
I've said it before , don't put a woman in charge until you have screen them . Look at Hillary , Mad Maxine , Duncan etc.
Same safe space garbage as the snowflake election epidemic. A Big Nothing sandwich. A mere distraction to the fact that these same communist progressives are responsible for communist legislation that cause the disarming of lawful citizens and safe spaces. Flat out facts and proof the anti-gun laws and legislators dont work and yet make it worse, safe space slaughter zones...and they know it!! The MGA and BOE must be replaced, its essential to our Liberty, our safety and our children's futures.
And just what are they going to do when a threat is identified? Do just like the FBI, the school, so-called "mental health professionals" and the local police did in Florida? They did nothing until after the shooting stopped. Only then did they say that they ALL had identified the threat, but no one acted on it. Not nary one of the ones that had identified the threat.
It now looks like Hogan and the Maryland Center for School Safety wants Maryland to do the same thing. All that "reporting" didn't save any students in Florida, and it is not going to save any students in Maryland. Where's the front line defense when the shooting starts? That's right, there is none. In Florida, all they had was a coward cop that listened to the bloodbath, hiding from the shooter with his gun drawn, so that HE could retire. The hell with the kids he was charged and paid for protecting, his job to him was all about milking his paycheck until he got his pension. Hey, does anyone know any cops like that? I do.
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