A note for Central office conducting any post lockdown meetings with staff:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:18:41 Do you think teacher or staff will be able to "speak up" at these meetings? They have unions which are doing....??

Of course. The OP can say exactly what was said here without the expletives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s insane how tone deaf so many of the people in OSSI are.

What level(s) from OSSI came - chief, area associate, or director?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was in Magruder for the 5 hour+ lock down. It sucked. Kids were not able to go the bathroom. Staff were begging for assistance via mass email and getting no response.

Did they honestly expect us to keep lights off for 5+ hours when kids are telling me the kid has already been arrested via twitter?

Lockdowns can be worse than the events that trigger them.

I totally get why kids would bolt out of the school if a lockdown is called.

If you have never been through a multi-hour lockdown you should not be making the policy without the input of those that have.

So very sorry to hear of your experience. Thanks for sharing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s insane how tone deaf so many of the people in OSSI are.

What level(s) from OSSI came - chief, area associate, or director?

Was it Peter Moran? Tamitha Campbell? Michael Zarchin?

[Anonymous]

https://montgomerycountymd.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=169&clip_id=17625&meta_id=185511

victimization data on page 7

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s insane how tone deaf so many of the people in OSSI are.

What level(s) from OSSI came - chief, area associate, or director?

Was it Peter Moran? Tamitha Campbell? Michael Zarchin?

Instead of focusing on who, focus on message that comes out of a central office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was in Magruder for the 5 hour+ lock down. It sucked. Kids were not able to go the bathroom. Staff were begging for assistance via mass email and getting no response.

Did they honestly expect us to keep lights off for 5+ hours when kids are telling me the kid has already been arrested via twitter?

Lockdowns can be worse than the events that trigger them.

I totally get why kids would bolt out of the school if a lockdown is called.

If you have never been through a multi-hour lockdown you should not be making the policy without the input of those that have.

Magruder Mom here. Thank you for looking out for our kids. There were many things that went wrong that day. Staff were the heroes, though. In so many ways.

[Anonymous]

Some of ya’ll really live in a bubble. Were there some choices made at Magruder that maybe weren’t the best and lessons learned? Yes. But it’s clear that many of y’all have not reviewed any actual shooting data, what happens during mass shootings, why some of the practices that exist have been developed, or understand why decisions made in the moment happen.

You know what’s traumatizing: Being in lockdown while hearing bullets nearby. Stepping out into utter chaos outside. Walking through the blood and bodies of your classmates and staff. Seeing the face of the mother who is realizing she won’t get her kid back. And if you can imagine how devastating any of the above would feel, note that you would still be nine degrees away from the true trauma.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of ya’ll really live in a bubble. Were there some choices made at Magruder that maybe weren’t the best and lessons learned? Yes. But it’s clear that many of y’all have not reviewed any actual shooting data, what happens during mass shootings, why some of the practices that exist have been developed, or understand why decisions made in the moment happen.

You know what’s traumatizing: Being in lockdown while hearing bullets nearby. Stepping out into utter chaos outside. Walking through the blood and bodies of your classmates and staff. Seeing the face of the mother who is realizing she won’t get her kid back. And if you can imagine how devastating any of the above would feel, note that you would still be nine degrees away from the true trauma.

If you think MCPS has learned any actual lessons from the Magruder incident, you're in for a rude awakening.

Ask any students and teachers who have experienced lockdowns this school year and they will tell you similar stories of chaos, confusion and disorganization.

MCPS has learned nothing and refuses to learn from its mistakes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of ya’ll really live in a bubble. Were there some choices made at Magruder that maybe weren’t the best and lessons learned? Yes. But it’s clear that many of y’all have not reviewed any actual shooting data, what happens during mass shootings, why some of the practices that exist have been developed, or understand why decisions made in the moment happen.

You know what’s traumatizing: Being in lockdown while hearing bullets nearby. Stepping out into utter chaos outside. Walking through the blood and bodies of your classmates and staff. Seeing the face of the mother who is realizing she won’t get her kid back. And if you can imagine how devastating any of the above would feel, note that you would still be nine degrees away from the true trauma.

I'm not sure what the point of your post is. It's like telling someone who has food insecurity and goes hungry to imagine what it's like to watch your whole family die of hunger during a mass famine. Yes, there could be much worse trauma. But that doesn't mean that people aren't right to complain about other deficiencies, and look for ways to improve upon them. I think your post was very insensitive and rude.

The communications definitely need improvement. My kid was in a lockdown once for hours at her school (not Magruder, a different MCPS school). I was listening to the police scanner and it was clear for the last half of it that there was no longer any threat at the school -- the individual had departed the grounds and the police had gone off in pursuit. Could the person have doubled back? Yeah, I guess so. But that's not really any greater risk than the ordinary day -- someone could always in theory come to school property with a weapon. There was no reason to keep kids in a classroom peeing their pants and hyperventilating in fear when the kid with the gun was long gone. The kids were probably safer that day than normal days, because MCPD kept a couple cars stationed outside the school for the rest of the day.

[Anonymous]

I guess I need to understand more about lockdowns because it seems like the protocols are designed for the Parkland or Columbine situations, and it seems like most of the MCPS issues have been a kid with a gun who brings it for a specific reason - either to threaten someone (and at Magruder actually shoot someone), show off, feel safe, etc.

I'm not saying not to do lockdowns, but are the protocols matched to the threat? Like PPs point about listening to the scanner and hearing that the individual was off the grounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of ya’ll really live in a bubble. Were there some choices made at Magruder that maybe weren’t the best and lessons learned? Yes. But it’s clear that many of y’all have not reviewed any actual shooting data, what happens during mass shootings, why some of the practices that exist have been developed, or understand why decisions made in the moment happen.

You know what’s traumatizing: Being in lockdown while hearing bullets nearby. Stepping out into utter chaos outside. Walking through the blood and bodies of your classmates and staff. Seeing the face of the mother who is realizing she won’t get her kid back. And if you can imagine how devastating any of the above would feel, note that you would still be nine degrees away from the true trauma.

This wasn't a mass shooting. It was community violence. Something that doesn't start or stop at school doors. It's a completely different situation, with kids threatening and harming each other on school grounds and off.

And yes, it was traumatizing for those of us involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was in Magruder for the 5 hour+ lock down. It sucked. Kids were not able to go the bathroom. Staff were begging for assistance via mass email and getting no response.

Did they honestly expect us to keep lights off for 5+ hours when kids are telling me the kid has already been arrested via twitter?

Lockdowns can be worse than the events that trigger them.

I totally get why kids would bolt out of the school if a lockdown is called.

If you have never been through a multi-hour lockdown you should not be making the policy without the input of those that have.

gawd.. i can't wait for my kid to be done with mcps next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s insane how tone deaf so many of the people in OSSI are.

What level(s) from OSSI came - chief, area associate, or director?

Was it Peter Moran? Tamitha Campbell? Michael Zarchin?

Instead of focusing on who, focus on message that comes out of a central office.

Pathetically hilarious that MCPS is hiding who presented this information that garnered the critical feedback. Gas. Lighting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was in Magruder for the 5 hour+ lock down. It sucked. Kids were not able to go the bathroom. Staff were begging for assistance via mass email and getting no response.

Did they honestly expect us to keep lights off for 5+ hours when kids are telling me the kid has already been arrested via twitter?

Lockdowns can be worse than the events that trigger them.

I totally get why kids would bolt out of the school if a lockdown is called.

If you have never been through a multi-hour lockdown you should not be making the policy without the input of those that have.

gawd.. i can't wait for my kid to be done with mcps next year.

447 days until Friday before Memorial Day May 2026. +1 graduation rehearsal. And 1 graduation ceremony if your kid plans to attend ceremony.