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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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Understanding Hate Bias and Social Media’s Impact on School Climate
Virtual learning and social distancing has limited our ability to engage in positive social interactions. With many stressors facing all of us, we’re increasingly engaging in and with social media, texting, and video chats in an effort to connect, socialize, and simply maintain our humanity.
Yet, not all online social interactions are positive, and many educators, parents, and students are wondering what can students do to navigate such challenges in the virtual world.
Drawing on my experience juggling diverse responsibilities within the Office of the Attorney General while also being a proud and involved mother of four, I’ve put together a program to educate students, families, and school staff about the intersection of bullying and cyberbullying, hate bias, and social media.
Healthy Community, Healthy Schools – Understanding Hate Bias and Social Media’s Impact on School Climate is an interactive one-hour program that aims to foster positive community-based solutions and develop in participants an understanding of Maryland and federal laws related to these very important topics.
Watch the video above to learn more and get a preview of what we’ll discuss, and if you are interested in scheduling a daytime or evening presentation of Healthy Community, Healthy Schools – Understanding Hate Bias and Social Media’s Impact on School Climate please complete this form and make sure to select “Hate Bias/Social Media/Cyberbullying” as your preferred topic/theme area. I look forward to presenting to and engaging with your group soon.
Dawn Luedtke, an Assistant Attorney General for Maryland, counsels the Maryland Center for School Safety (MCSS), Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center, and Active Assailant Interdisciplinary Work Group. She works on community and law enforcement education initiatives related to hate bias and hate crimes, and serves on the Youth & Families Subcommittee of the Lt. Governor’s Commission on Mental & Behavioral Health.
Student Resilience in the Face of Change
On March 13, 2020, Maryland students were sent home from school, on what they all thought was an “extended spring break”. Now, almost a year has passed. COVID-19 has raged around the world, masks have become a must-have accessory, and most Maryland schools have not welcomed back students on campus in nearly a year.
On February 8, 2021 five members of the Maryland Center for School Safety (MCSS) Student Focus Group (SFG) set out to share via Instagram Live their personal experiences and lessons learned in the face of a global pandemic, not having sports, extracurricular activities, and general in-person interaction with teachers and friends for an entire year of their lives. Below you can watch a recording of the Instagram Live via the MCSS YouTube channel.
After spreading awareness with the community, some SFG members who participated also wanted to reflect on the importance of this message, and why they wanted to share it with the community:
Henry Meiser | St. Mary’s Ryken High School (Saint Mary’s County, MD)
The SFG was charged with sharing “Resilience in the Face of Change,” and I think this is a message that needs to be shared with parents, teachers, and other students on a national, if not global level. During my section of the Instagram Live, I spoke about the changes students have faced adapting to virtual asynchronous learning and virtual synchronous learning. The far turn from normalcy we took, whether it be in the classroom, or outside of it, was tremendous. Yet, the knowledge that we have gained, the skills that we have acquired, and the relationships that we have developed are unparalleled.
The key word of this live stream was resilience, and I cannot think of a better word to describe students around the world at the moment. While I truly believe that this has been one of the most challenging times our generation has ever faced, I am particularly happy that I had a chance to remind everyone – students, parents, and teachers – that there IS a light at the end of the tunnel, that we will come out together, and that we will come out as stronger leaders and students.
Kevin Bokoum | North Hagerstown High School (Washington County, MD)
Over the course of the past year, many lives of students have been flipped around and tossed around due to the pandemic; however, not every student was affected in the same way. Through being a county Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB), I get to engage with and review so many student concerns, questions, and comments. I eagerly joined the MCSS Instagram Live because I felt I could give my input into the various and specific challenges students faced and ways in which students have adapted during the everchanging pandemic. Even though there are so many specific student populations to talk about, I choose to specifically focus on how ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) students, student athletes, and high achieving students were faced with challenges from distance learning, and how they overcame them. I also discussed how the adaptation to technology served as a learning and outreach tool. I believe the key sentiment that was expressed during our discussion was the importance of reaching out and getting support in any way you can. Even though nobody has experienced this pandemic in exactly the same way, it is so important that we be there for eachother as supporters and friends because doing so can help drastically improve the mental health of our peers.
Claire Cabral | Hereford High School (Baltimore County, MD)
It has been almost a year since Covid-19 began to touch our lives and create a change so big that many of us had no clue how to deal with what we were facing. As a teenager who depended on her routine and her “normalcy,” I struggled a lot with the transition into a virtual world with limited social interaction. Little did I know, so many people my age were going through the same thing and feeling just as alone as I was.
As our lives begin to return to normal, we all will struggle again with the transition. But this time, we need to know that we aren’t alone and that there are ways to adjust to change in a healthy way. As a member of the SFG, I was so excited to take part in our “Resilience in the Face of Change” Instagram Live. I wanted to let those watching at home know that they were not alone in their emotions and experiences by sharing my perspective and listening to others. I chose to discuss a way we all can understand our mindset and how we think to combat change in a healthy way. This cycle is called the Resilience Cycle, a multi-step process that walks us through how the human brain confronts change and how we can respond to it.
It is so important for not only students, but also parents, administrators, and teachers to recognize why they and the people around them may be feeling the way that they are. This cycle is a simple but effective way to do so, and I was honored to be able to share this resource with so many. I look forward to continuing to positively influence those around me, and I hope the SFG will have another live stream soon!
Thank you to all the students who participated and those who attended. If you missed the live stream and are interested in viewing, you can watch it all above, and be sure to turn on post notifications on Instagram and Facebook so you do not miss future events! Finally, to read more on the resilience cycle, click here.
Claire Cabral, Kevin Bokoum, and Henry Meiser are members of the MCSS Student Focus Group (SFG). For more information on the Student Focus Group click here.
Maryland SRO FAQs – and Answers
A lot of questions about Maryland School Resource Officers (SROs), their many responsibilities, and the requirements of the Safe to Learn Act of 2018 are sent our way. Today we are happy to answer some of them.
Below are answers to the most frequently asked questions that we receive.
Read more…Letter of Information: House Bill 496: Primary and Secondary Education – Mental Health Services – Expansion
The following Letter of Information was sent to the House Ways and Means Committee of the Maryland General Assembly on February 3, 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 496.
The Safe to Learn Act of 2018 (STLA) set aggressive Statewide standards for school safety. The STLA addressed both the physical safety and security and the behavioral health needs of students. The law established requirements for reporting, mandated training, and emergency planning while also providing funding for public school evaluations, transportation safety, training, school resource officers, and school-based behavioral health and wrap-around services.
Maryland’s impressive demographic and geographic diversity means that every school system and school within a school system is unique. The STLA’s built-in flexibility allows each school system to assess and evaluate the needs within individual school communities in order to make informed decisions about resource allocation. Additionally, school systems and law enforcement agencies throughout the State have worked closely together to determine the need for SROs and/or adequate law enforcement coverage to serve school communities. The factors to be considered in making that decision range from a specific school’s unique climate and proximity to the closest first responders, size of the student body and facilities, and other community resources. Recognizing that each school represents a microcosm of the community it serves, MCSS does not recommend changes in the law that would take away the ability for localities to determine what is best for their school communities.
MCSS and the School Safety Subcabinet believe that the STLA’s ethos of flexibility should carry over into the administration of grant funding, which would enhance the ability of local officials to identify priority school safety initiatives including but not limited to grant funding for SROs and mental health services, both of which are foundational to creating safe school environments. These funds have helped provide coverage for after school programs and events as well as increased patrols in and around schools.
Finally, lines 24 and 25 of page 11 of House Bill 496 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).
We respectfully request that you consider this information as you deliberate House Bill 496.
Kate Hession, Executive Director, Maryland Center for School Safety
Letter of Information: Senate Bill 245: Public Schools – School Resource Officers – Requirements and Prohibitions
The following Letter of Information was sent to the Senate Education Health and Environmental Affairs Committee of the Maryland General Assembly on January 15, 2021.
On behalf of the Maryland Center for School Safety (MCSS), which strives to promote and enhance school communities that are inclusive educational environments free from fear, harm, trauma, and unnecessary hardship, thank you for the opportunity to submit this letter of information regarding Senate Bill 245.
Senate Bill 245 would amend The Safe to Learn Act of 2018 (STLA) in three significant ways. First, it would prohibit School Resource Officers (SROs) from regularly entering school buildings unless they need to use the bathroom and only permits entry in other circumstances when an SRO is summoned by a school administrator or official. Second, it would prohibit SROs from openly carrying their service weapon except in limited circumstances. Third, it would prohibit SROs from wearing law enforcement uniforms.
The STLA defines an SRO as a law enforcement officer (§3–101(e)) who has been assigned to a school in accordance with a required Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the chief of a law enforcement agency (§3–101(b)) and the local education agency. The definition of SRO also encompasses Baltimore City school police officers (§4–318). Memorandums of Understanding set a positive tone for school-law enforcement partnerships and establish the goals of particular SRO programs. MOUs should be reviewed annually, and, at a minimum, should establish roles and responsibilities for school administrators and staff and the SROs assigned to serve the school community in a way which clearly delineates the differences in their respective roles while acknowledging common goals for maintaining a positive school environment.
Law enforcement professionals selected to become SROs in Maryland benefit from holistic education and training specific to the unique, important, and varied roles that SROs fulfill in Maryland’s twenty-four diverse local school systems. Maryland’s five-day SRO training curriculum, which is administered by MCSS, prepares an SRO to fulfill four distinct roles within a school community: the Role of Educator, the Role of Emergency Manager, the Role of Informal Counselor, and the Role of Law Enforcement. Topics required by law to be covered in the MCSS 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.
While the STLA mandates that SROs complete the mandatory curriculum, the Act does not require officers who fulfill the role of “adequate law enforcement coverage” and other patrol officers, who may be contacted for service by a school, to be trained in the curriculum. This specialized training for working with youth within the school setting provides SROs with a unique understanding of how to fulfill the four roles of their job while serving and supporting Maryland’s students. It is critical to the performance of their duties, as they have trained under the STLA, that officers assigned to serve as SROs have the opportunity for meaningful engagement and relationship building with the students and staff they serve. Senate Bill 245 essentially reduces SROs to the functions of an emergency manager or patrol officer and strips away the ability for officers to engage in the other functions critical to service as an SRO.
The STLA mandates either the assignment of an SRO or adequate law enforcement coverage for each individual school within each of Maryland’s twenty-four local school systems. Local school systems, working in concert with local law enforcement agencies, determine how they will fulfill this mandate based on factors ranging from specific school climate and proximity to the closest first responders to student population size and other resources available.
Recognizing the uniqueness of each school system and each school within a school system, the STLA contains built-in flexibility to allow local school systems, in consultation with local law enforcement agencies, to determine whether SROs or adequate law enforcement coverage would best align with their needs and resources. Local school systems need not have a one-size fits all approach to every school within its system. As the STLA allows for variability based on local needs and resources, MCSS does not recommend changes in the law that would take away the ability for local authorities to determine how to position an SRO (or adequate law enforcement coverage) inside or outside of school buildings.
MCSS provided the standardized training curriculum for SROs and school security employees established in the STLA for the first time over several months leading up to the start of the 2019-2020 academic year. Although in-person training has been curtailed due to the pandemic, MCSS continues to train SROs and school security employees virtually and has offered multiple training sessions of “Understanding the Role of the SRO” for school administrators and staff. MCSS continues to add interdisciplinary training courses to fit the needs of local school systems and the SROs who currently serve them, along with other school professionals.
We respectfully request that you consider this information as you deliberate Senate Bill 245.
Kate Hession, Executive Director, Maryland Center for School Safety
Suspect Abuse? Report it!
During the COVID-19 pandemic school looks a lot different than normal. Teachers and staff have much less interaction with their students than usual, which can be detrimental to the safety of students. Without having “eyes on students” every day in an environment outside of the home where students may feel comfortable, child abuse is going unreported. Typically, teachers and school officials make a fifth of all child abuse reports. Nationwide, child abuse reporting has been down since the pandemic began.
Read more…Middle and High School Students Encouraged to Apply for Maryland School Safety Group
The Maryland Center for School Safety (MCSS) has released its Student Focus Group Application
Promoting school safety requires collaboration between, listening to, and learning from diverse perspectives – and the efforts, voices, and viewpoints of students may be the most important of all when it comes to any discussion focused on school safety.
Read more…MCSS 2021 School Safety Conference
When the pandemic response shut down all in-person activities and events for most of 2020, MCSS’s annual Summer Conference had to be reimagined into virtual Summer Seminar Series on just three months notice. Now, as we look ahead to 2021, we are ready to apply lessons learned from 2020 to create a Summer 2021 School Safety Conference that harnesses the best elements of in-person and online education, professional development, engagement, and networking. And we hope you are too!
Mark your calendar for our Summer 2021 School Safety Conference, which will take place on four non-consecutive dates in July 2021 (July 13, 15, 20, and 22). We will remain flexible to see whether which, if any, parts of the conference will be able to take place in-person; yet, we are also developing hybrid format and fully online options due to potentially evolving COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
Each year hundreds of school safety/security professionals including law enforcement professionals, school administrators, mental health professionals, counselors, teachers, government officials, and more attend our conference to learn new school safety information and gain exposure to the latest best practices. This wouldn’t be possible without the participation of some of our nation’s and our region’s leading school safety experts and speakers.
Now, with just over six months until our conference we are excited to launch our official call for speakers. Our goal is to continue to present conference attendees with innovative and thoughtful speakers from diverse perspectives and disciplines; therefore, if you or someone you know is ready and able to challenge attendees’ current assumptions and provide timely, fresh, interactive, leading-edge, and engaging school safety content, please complete our 2021 School Safety Conference Call for Speakers Application no later later March 1, 2021.
Recognizing the wealth of information and expertise within our school safety community, we encourage everyone to circulate the application and related information to anyone who would be able to provide valuable information to our school safety community.
Any questions regarding the conference or proposal submissions should be directed to our Conference Speaker Committee Chair Jim Hott at james.hott1@maryland.gov. We look forward to reviewing applications soon.
As second winter with Coronavirus approaches, Maryland has resources that benefit students
As we head into the time of year when the sun shines the least, some now argue that government measures responding to the pandemic, as well as the pandemic itself, have combined to caused unprecedented mental health challenges for those least vulnerable to the virus: children and teens.
Across America ER visits and long waits have climbed for kids in mental health crisis and a growing number of parents are worried about the long-term effects COVID will have on the mental health of children. Some even contend that America’s children are facing a mental health crisis that no one is talking about.
What is certain is that many Maryland children and teens continue to learn from home as we head into 2021, and being unusually cooped up for the better part of a year brings with it extraordinary physical and mental challenges for students and their families. Even those students and staff members who are able to return to school in person face novel stressors – such as growing anxieties concerning what were once considered normal human interactions and the unease that comes for some from staying masked or socially distant from others for many hours on end.
Yet, during dark days like those many are currently experiencing, it’s vitally important that students and adults in schools are reminded to reach out to trusted adults in their lives in order to voice their concerns and air any insecurities they may be feeling. School counselors, for instance, remain at the disposal of Maryland’s public school students, even those who are learning in a fully virtual manner.
In the event someone doesn’t feel he or she has a trusted adult to turn to but still wants to share share concerns related to student or school safety, they should be reminded that Safe Schools Maryland, an ANONYMOUS reporting system that allows students, parents, and community members to easily and anonymously report school or student safety concerns anywhere in Maryland, is available 24/7. Anonymous reports received are routed to school, public safety, health, and/or social services personnel for appropriate follow up.
Individuals can anonymously report information to Safe Schools Maryland via the app, the website, or the tip line:
→ App: Google Play | Apple App
→ Web: SafeSchoolsMD.org
→ Phone: 1-833-MD-B-SAFE (1-833-632-7233)
Maryland also has a crisis hotline (1-800-422-0009) for those in crisis. If someone suspects child abuse or neglect and he or she would like to report such information non-anonymously Child Protective Services offices across the State of Maryland and in other jurisdictions regularly accept such reports. In short, in Maryland a variety of resources and supports exist to prevent tough situations from escalating into serious or unfortunate events.
2020 has been a difficult experience for many, and 2021 may be challenging as well, but always remember that we can get through this together. Stay safe, take care of yourself, and remember that you are not alone.
National School Bus Safety Week During a Pandemic
For many Marylanders this October – like 2020 in general – is unlike any that we’ve experienced before. Masks are no longer just for Halloween. Children are home more hours of the day. The traditional rhythm of life is on hold.
While much is topsy-turvy this year, National School Bus Safety Week (October 19 through October 23) goes on!
With so many children still engaging in virtual school from home, there may be far fewer school vehicles on Maryland roads; yet, this makes noting National School Bus Safety Week that much more important.
Lots of us are out of practice interacting with school buses on our streets. Some Maryland school systems are returning cohorts of students to school this October while some Maryland independent schools have been partially or fully operational in-person since August. National School Bus Safety Week is a reminder that whether we interact with one school bus a month or one school bus an hour, we must always prioritize safety first when driving or walking near a moving school bus.
“National School Bus Safety Week is an active and evolving public education program and an excellent way for parents, students, teachers, motorists, school bus operators, school administrators, and other interested parties – to join forces and address the importance of school bus safety.” according to the National Association for Pupil Transportation, which also publishes a useful one-page guide to year-round school bus safety.
In a typical school year, more than 600,000 Maryland students ride school buses in Maryland, and though that number is certainly lower this October, every life matters!
To stay on top of our school bus safety game, the Maryland Center for School Safety (MCSS) encourages Marylanders and those passing through our state to:
- Always pay attention when driving, especially in school zones and during school bus stops;
- Always stop when a bus stops; it is illegal to pass a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop-arm extended when it has stopped to load or unload students;
- Always ensure that any mask or face shield that you wear out in public does not prevent you from maintaining a clear line of sight when operating a motor vehicle or walking near moving vehicles; and
- Always remember that children’s brains are still developing – don’t expect them to behave as you would when entering, exiting, or in a school bus; therefore, maintain a safe distance from school buses at all times.