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- Press Release – Maryland Center for School Safety Leads Statewide School-Based Incident Tabletop Exercise
- MCSS Promotes the Use of Standard Response Protocols from the “i love u guys” Foundation
- Wear Blue for Human Trafficking Awareness January 11, 2024
- How to Stay Safe During Severe Weather Season
- Show Your Appreciation for School Resource Officers On February 15
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2021 Conference: Dawn Luedtke Presents “2021 Maryland Legislative Updates”
Dawn Luedtke graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996, and from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2000, where she served on the Maryland Law Review, Moot Court Board, and as a member of the Mock Trial Team. She served as the first law clerk to the Hon. Lynne A. Battaglia, Maryland Court of Appeals. After twelve years in private litigation practice, Dawn joined the Office of the Attorney General in 2013, where she serves as Counsel to the Maryland Center for School Safety, Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center, and Active Assailant Interdisciplinary Work Group, and works on hate crimes and hate bias community outreach initiatives and law enforcement training. Dawn’s session will provide an overview of the highlights of education, public safety, and mental health related legislative action from the 2021 session of the Maryland General Assembly
Education Administrators, Teachers, School Psychologists/Guidance Counselors, School Resource Officers (SROs), Law Enforcement, Local/State Emergency Managers, Fusion Center Analysts, Crisis Intervention Units, Counselors & Mental Health Specialists, School Social Workers, School Safety Professionals, and other school safety stakeholders interested in attending Dawn Luedtke’s presentation should register for the July 2021 MCSS School Safety Summer Conference at http://conference2021.safeschoolsmd.org/.
2021 Conference: Timmeka Perkins and Michelle LeVere Present “A Fresh S.T.A.R.T. for Youth” and “Learning and Leading Together: Partnerships to Increase Youth Engagement”
Timmeka Perkins has served as the Anne Arundel County Police Department’s Juvenile/Victim Assistance Program Director since 2016, overseeing all juvenile operations including four frontline youth diversion programs. She is also the County’s Handle With Care Coordinator. Prior to 2016 she was a tireless advocate in both the public and non-profit sectors of the fields of domestic violence and child welfare. She received her M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration from Colorado State University in 2021 and graduated from Marshall University with her B.A. in Counseling in 2012. Perkins received the University’s Woman of the Year award for her research on best practices in the implementation of Batterer Intervention Programs and efforts to bring Bystander Intervention programs to campus.
Corporal Michelle LeVere is a five-year veteran of the Anne Arundel County Police Department. She is currently assigned to the Community Relations Division. She assists with all aspects of frontline youth diversion efforts. Cpl. LeVere is the co-creator of the Fresh START Project, the Department’s pre-arrest diversion program. She is trained in Crisis Intervention, Critical Incident Stress Management, and Mental Health First Aid. Cpl. LeVere will earn her B.S. in Criminal Justice from Penn State University in 2021.
Timmeka and Michelle will share two important sessions. First, they’ll present valuable information about Fresh S.T.A.R.T., an initiative of the Anne Arundel County Police Department designed to promote the Safe, Trauma-Informed, Accountable, Restorative, and Transparent handling of juvenile offenses. The program is a pre-arrest, universal, graduated response to low-level offenses rooted in restorative justice designed to decriminalize behaviors while holding students accountable and keeping schools safe, reduce racial and ethnic disparities in charging, and provide early intervention and services to youth impacted by trauma, mental health, and/or substance abuse needs. Second, recognizing that youth voice – especially the voice of minority youth – is a vital part of conversations regarding race and the justice system, the Anne Arundel County Police Department created a Minority Youth Advisory Council. This Council invited underrepresented youth, age 14-18, to meet with members of law enforcement monthly to improve police-community relationships. The group focuses on education, advocacy and service to the community. Youth provide input on what they see as needs, gaps in services, effective ways to affect change, etc. For example, the Council provided insight to state legislators and school board members on views and recommendations on School Resource Officers and other legislation being heard. The Minority Youth Advisory Council has paved the way for enhanced collaboration between the Department, the school system and the community—creating partnerships and increased opportunities for conversation and programming. In this presentation, the Council facilitators and a youth representative seek to explain how the program came about and what we’ve learned along the way. Timmeka and Michelle will share more details about this innovative program.
Education Administrators, Teachers, School Psychologists/Guidance Counselors, School Resource Officers (SROs), Law Enforcement, Local/State Emergency Managers, Fusion Center Analysts, Crisis Intervention Units, Counselors & Mental Health Specialists, School Social Workers, School Safety Professionals, and other school safety stakeholders interested in attending Timmeka Perkins’ and Michelle LeVere’s presentations should register for the July 2021 MCSS School Safety Summer Conference at http://conference2021.safeschoolsmd.org/.
2021 Conference: MaryAnn Brittingham Presents “Practical Strategies to Effectively Respond to Power Struggles”
MaryAnn Brittingham holds a master’s degree in family and child counseling and a bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education. She is an author, has over thirty-five years experience as a special education teacher and child/family counselor, and has worked in psychiatric settings in order to create therapeutic options for students who require higher levels of emotional and academic support. Her passion is to help educators gain insights into student behaviors in order to create safe learning environments. If you are interested in techniques to de-escalate power struggles and rebuild trust, staying calm, cool and collected while working with a disrespectful student, identifying your response style, learning skills to avoid turning conversations into arguments, alternatives to yelling, and effective ways to frame choices and implement consequences, you’ll want to attend MaryAnn’s session.
Education Administrators, Teachers, School Psychologists/Guidance Counselors, School Resource Officers (SROs), Law Enforcement, Local/State Emergency Managers, Fusion Center Analysts, Crisis Intervention Units, Counselors & Mental Health Specialists, School Social Workers, School Safety Professionals, and other school safety stakeholders interested in attending MaryAnn Brittingham’s presentation should register for the July 2021 MCSS School Safety Summer Conference at http://conference2021.safeschoolsmd.org/.
2021 Conference: Lynn Riemer Presents “New Trends in Teen Substance Abuse”
Lynn Riemer is an accomplished speaker, trainer, and advocate on issues relating to substance abuse. She is president of ACT on Drugs, Inc., which educates parents, teens, and professionals about addictive and psychoactive substances, both legal and illegal. She is also a Coauthor of the book The Methamphetamine Crisis: Strategies to Save Addicts, Families, and Communities by Greenwood Publishing. Glamorization of drugs in pop culture continues even as the types of drugs accessible to the public become more dangerous and easier to obtain. Did you know that vaping among high school students grew by an astounding 900 percent since 2011? Or that marijuana is a popular drug to vape? Most of the deaths and hospitalizations from vaping involved THC, the psychoactive ingredient in Marijuana. Drug driving deaths are skyrocketing in states that have legalized pot and schools are seeing an increase in hard drugs. Lynn will harness her in depth chemistry knowledge of drugs gained from her experience with DEA and on the North Metro Drug Task Force, to provide a deep dive into the street and over the counter products used by youth to get high and the implications for our communities.
Education Administrators, Teachers, School Psychologists/Guidance Counselors, School Resource Officers (SROs), Law Enforcement, Local/State Emergency Managers, Fusion Center Analysts, Crisis Intervention Units, Counselors & Mental Health Specialists, School Social Workers, School Safety Professionals, and other school safety stakeholders interested in attending Lynn Riemer’s presentation should register for the July 2021 MCSS School Safety Summer Conference at http://conference2021.safeschoolsmd.org/.
2021 Conference: Robert Lung Presents “Trafficking, Trauma, Resiliency, and Evidence-Based Hope”
Judge Robert Lung has served as a judicial officer in the 18th Judicial District for over seventeen years in almost every docket type with a specialty in human services cases. He previously served as the Judicial Representative and the Vice-Chair on the Colorado Human Trafficking Council and the Chair of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking. Judge Lung currently serves on the National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children and Youth in the United States. He provides consultation to the Departments of Justice and State, the Administration for Children and Families, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. His presentation will educate the audience about human trafficking, specifically domestic sex trafficking, the multi-faceted impact of childhood trauma, and the power of resiliency. Those interested in grounding techniques, trauma-informed care, the way in which traffickers isolate and manipulate their victims, and the power of resiliency won’t want to miss Judge Lung’s presentation.
Education Administrators, Teachers, School Psychologists/Guidance Counselors, School Resource Officers (SROs), Law Enforcement, Local/State Emergency Managers, Fusion Center Analysts, Crisis Intervention Units, Counselors & Mental Health Specialists, School Social Workers, School Safety Professionals, and other school safety stakeholders interested in attending Robert Lung’s presentation should register for the July 2021 MCSS School Safety Summer Conference at http://conference2021.safeschoolsmd.org/.
2021 Conference: Missy Smith Presents “I Choose to Be Happy”
Missy Smith was one of eight students shot at Heath High School in Paducah, KY in 1997. The fourteen-year-old shooter left three girls dead and Missy paralyzed from the chest down. Despite her injury, Missy immediately forgave the shooter and took back her life. Over the course of the next several years she graduated from Heath, earned a degree in social work from Murray State University, worked as a counselor for troubled teens, and got married. In addition to raising two children, Missy continues to share her story with audiences, which she has done for over twenty years. Missy will candidly share her memories of the shooting, how she faced her fears, and how she overcame countless physical and emotional obstacles to achieve her goals. She addresses the issue of bullying and how it contributed to the shooting as well as the emotional toll the shooting took on first responders.
Education Administrators, Teachers, School Psychologists/Guidance Counselors, School Resource Officers (SROs), Law Enforcement, Local/State Emergency Managers, Fusion Center Analysts, Crisis Intervention Units, Counselors & Mental Health Specialists, School Social Workers, School Safety Professionals, and other school safety stakeholders interested in attending Missy Smith’s presentation should register for the July 2021 MCSS School Safety Summer Conference at http://conference2021.safeschoolsmd.org/.
Letter of Information: House Bill 522: Public Schools – School Resource Officers and School Security Employees – Revisions
The following Letter of Information was sent to the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee of the Maryland General Assembly on March 26, 2021.
On behalf of the Maryland Center for School Safety (MCSS), thank you for the opportunity to submit this letter of information regarding House Bill 522.
The Safe to Learn Act of 2018 (STLA) received broad bipartisan support because it addresses both the physical safety needs and the behavioral health needs of students. The STLA balances aggressive Statewide standards for school safety with built-in flexibility for each school system to assess and evaluate the needs within individual school communities in order to make informed decisions about resource allocation to address identified gaps in support of school safety.
House Bill 522 expands on the training, data collection, and reporting requirements of the existing statute. House Bill 522 also creates new planning requirements for local school systems and imposes limitations on (1) the assignment of school resource officers (SROs) and school security employees (SSEs), and (2) a local school system’s use of grant funds.
In reference to specific language within House Bill 522, we ask that you please consider the following:
- Student Code of Conduct: As referenced on page 4, lines 13 and 14, there are individual student codes of conduct in each of the 24 school systems within Maryland. The bill language, as drafted, would require MCSS to develop 24 different lesson plans to address each of the 24 individual school system’s codes of conduct. MCSS respectfully requests that the language be modified to “including but not limited to using the student code of conduct applicable to the local school system.”
- School Safety Coordinators: The STLA required each local school system to identify a school safety coordinator (SSC). There are 24 identified SSCs in Maryland, one representing each local school system. SSCs referenced on page 6, line 16, are employees that work for the local school system’s central office and not within an individual public school.
- Training for SRO Supervisors: On page 7, line 19, MCSS respectfully requests that the date for completion of the development of the training be moved from September 1, 2021, to March 1, 2022. This will help ensure that a thorough and effective training curriculum can be developed.
- Training for School Administrators: On page 7, line 25, MCSS respectfully requests that the date for completion of the development of the training be moved from September 1, 2021, to July 1, 2022. This training will require MCSS to engage multiple stakeholders in order to develop this unique training specific to school administrators.
- Use of Grant Funds: On page 11, lines 29-34, the language limits the use of the grant funding to only one of the identified options. As drafted, this language would prevent some school systems from taking advantage of their total allocation. To ensure each school system is afforded the opportunity to fully benefit from the funds, MCSS respectfully suggests the removal of the word “single” on page 11, line 30, and striking item (3)(II) on page 11, lines 32-34.
We respectfully request that you consider this information as you deliberate House Bill 522.
Kate Hession, Executive Director, Maryland Center for School Safety
Protected: Test PPP
How to submit an anonymous tip on Safe Schools Maryland
While there is a lot of information on our website about the Safe Schools Maryland anonymous reporting system, we are now happy to add an informative video demonstrating just how easy it is to submit an anonymous tip. This video walks you through exactly how to submit any anonymous tip relating to the safety of Maryland students or schools.
So, no longer can you use the excuse that you didn’t know how to operate the system or got nervous and quit the submission process; submitting an anonymous tip is straightforward and easy.
Remember:
- Safe Schools Maryland does not replace developing a strong relationship with a trusted adult who you can also go to in order to share school or student safety concerns.
- It also does not replace 911, which is still the recommended choice in an emergency.
- Anyone can use Safe Schools Maryland: students, parents, school staff, and community members
Letter of Opposition: House Bill 1089: Primary and Secondary Education – Expansion of Mental Health Services and Prohibition of School Resource Officers
The following Letter of Opposition was sent to the House Ways and Means Committee of the Maryland General Assembly on March 1, 2021
On behalf of the Maryland Center for School Safety (MCSS), thank you for the opportunity to submit this letter of opposition to House Bill 1089.
The Safe to Learn Act of 2018 (STLA) received broad bipartisan support because it addresses both the physical safety needs and the behavioral health needs of students. The STLA balances aggressive Statewide standards for school safety with built-in flexibility for each school system to assess and evaluate the needs within individual school communities in order to make informed decisions about resource allocation in support of school safety. As a result, within areas of shared jurisdiction local school systems and law enforcement agencies work together to determine whether a School Resource Officers (SRO) or adequate law enforcement coverage is best positioned to contribute to the safety of each individual school community.
Though the STLA is only three-years-old and a full in-person school year has not yet passed with it fully implemented, the law’s passage has already led to impressive collaboration among the twenty-four school systems’ designated mental health services and school safety coordinators as well as the development and statewide delivery of Maryland’s robust SRO and school security employee training curriculum. Topics required by law to be covered in the SRO training curriculum include De-escalation, Disability Awareness, Maintaining a Positive School Climate, Constructive Interactions with Students, Implicit Bias, and Disability and Diversity Awareness with specific attention to Racial and Ethnic Disparities.
Yet, House Bill 1089 eliminates SROs, Baltimore City Schools Police, and any other armed professionals and professionals with arrest powers inside Maryland’s public schools. MCSS believes that SROs specifically, and armed professionals and those with arrest powers more generally, should remain an option for Maryland public school communities that want them. Those responsible for the lives of our students and safety of our schools should be able to access every resource that they currently have at their disposal in order to maintain safe schools throughout Maryland. House Bill 1089’s proposed elimination of certain resources would set back the successful multi-year efforts of diverse Maryland jurisdictions where SROs are celebrated, integrated, and vital contributors to safe school communities.
In reference to specific language within House Bill 1089, please note the following:
- The Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission is referenced various times; however, it should be noted that the commission has no authority over School Security Employees who work in Maryland public schools.
- Lines 17 and 18 of page 18 of House Bill 1089 read, “(F) THE STATE BOARD SHALL ADOPT REGULATIONS TO CARRY OUT THIS [] SECTION.” Please note that the State Board of Education has no oversight or regulatory authority over the Maryland Center for School Safety or the Safe Schools Fund. The School Safety Subcabinet serves as the governing board of MCSS, and the Subcabinet approves Safe Schools Fund grants and has regulatory authority pursuant to Md. Code, Educ. Art. §7-1503(g)(12).
Thank you again for taking the time to consider the information shared above, and we respectfully request that the committee give House Bill 1089 an unfavorable report.