Our community is deeply concerned, as are we, about student safety. In these stressful and uncertain times, Board members have noted some confusion in the community regarding the roles and responsibilities for Safety Advocates and School Resource Officers (SROs), known as Liaison Officers in our school system.
A Safety Advocate is a Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS)
employee who provides a
proactive
means of meeting the needs of the students, staff, and community. Employing a
wealth of professional expertise, the Safety Advocate serves as a student
advocate and advisor. Rather than punish or suspend students, the Safety
Advocate provides support and counsel to the total school community. Additionally, the Safety Advocate assists the
staff and administration in maintaining a safe and orderly school environment
that best facilitates academic achievement.
The Safety Advocate’s role is to help students make good choices
and avoid activities that may result in harming themselves or others or
criminal activity that might lead to arrest. Typically, Safety Advocates are
retired law enforcement officers. Each high school has two full-time safety advocates.
The six middle schools are served by three safety advocates.
We continue to work with the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office to
provide a Liaison Officer to each of our high schools The Liaison Officers are
armed deputies employed by the Sheriff’s
Office.
These officers also serve the elementary and middle schools in their high
school’s feederpattern. A supervisor, also employed by the Sheriff’s Office, provides support where needed.
The Board has also been asked what we are doing to keep students
safe. The Board is working with the Board of County Commissioners to fund
school construction projects to make buildings more difficult to access. We are
providing additional training to staff on responding to an active shooter. In
consultation with the Sheriff’s Office, we are exploring additional law
enforcement supports in schools. CCPS also coordinates with the Health Department
to provide mental health services to students in schools. At the State level,
the Board, through the Maryland Associations of Boards of Education, is
advocating for amendments to improve legislation to provide Maryland State
Police resources to schools, as well as other safety measures.
As we, as a community, consider what is the next best thing we
can do to keep our children safe in school, the fact is most gun deaths are
accidental shootings or suicide. A majority of the Board believes more guns on
school property increase those risks and thus do not support arming CCPS employees.
The Board will continue to consider how best to keep children in
school safe, unafraid, welcome, and ready to learn.
Tracy McGuire, President, Calvert County Board of Education
