Urgent Request for Funding to Enhance MoCo Elementary School Safety

[Anonymous]

My child's elementary school has an alarm system that calls the police if the empty building is broken into, but no alarm to call the police when the children are in school. How F*ck*d UP is that?!?!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who is behind this petition? If I'm being asked to put my name to it, I'd like to know which organization or advocacy group wrote it.

It's not a petition. It's a letter from an individual, a concerned citizen. We need a thousand voices all in chorus.

Yeah, as one of the parents who did their best to raise awareness on this issue, I can say it's not a for-profit group or any type of organization. It's just parents who thought they won the lottery when their kids were able to go to MoCo schools only to find that basic 911 calling capability and other essential safety infrastructure was non-existent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish more elementary school parents knew how bad the situation is at their schools. Like me, I thought my child was safe when I sent them to school. Their teachers are afraid...they can't call for help.

That's because most parents trust in MCPS, the brand, and can't fathom that MCPS would do so little to ensure elementary schools are safe and secure.

The Board of Education literally give ZERO F*C*S about elementary school safety.

[Anonymous]

SIGN UP. SHOW UP. SPEAK UP.

This is only way we are going to bring about any change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why just elementary schools, OP? Usually shootings are in high schools or middle schools.

Did you completely miss Sandy Hook and Uvalde? How can you ask why focus on elementary schools?

PP you replied to. Because

A. My kids only ever had threats and lockdowns at their respective MCPS high schools (Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Walter Johnson), never when they were in the middle or elementary schools of those clusters.

B. Having volunteered in all those buildings, I can tell you that middle and high school buildings are much larger, with a lot more exterior doors, and it's far easier to get in if someone forgets to lock a door or holds the door for you. At my kids' elementary schools, there were fewer doors and fewer comings and goings to keep track of.

This is the lived experience of a parent who has been through K-12 with that kind of fear at the back of my mind.

I know your kids are probably in elementary, which is why you're focusing on those, but the reality is that larger buildings are exponentially more at risk. The mentally ill can write manifestos all they want, but if they can't get into the elementary school building... they'll try to get into an easier one.

What OP is telling you, that you don't seem to grasp, is that despite the secondary schools being bigger, they have better safety measures and resources in place compared to their elementary counterparts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why just elementary schools, OP? Usually shootings are in high schools or middle schools.

Did you completely miss Sandy Hook and Uvalde? How can you ask why focus on elementary schools?

PP you replied to. Because

A. My kids only ever had threats and lockdowns at their respective MCPS high schools (Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Walter Johnson), never when they were in the middle or elementary schools of those clusters.

B. Having volunteered in all those buildings, I can tell you that middle and high school buildings are much larger, with a lot more exterior doors, and it's far easier to get in if someone forgets to lock a door or holds the door for you. At my kids' elementary schools, there were fewer doors and fewer comings and goings to keep track of.

This is the lived experience of a parent who has been through K-12 with that kind of fear at the back of my mind.

I know your kids are probably in elementary, which is why you're focusing on those, but the reality is that larger buildings are exponentially more at risk. The mentally ill can write manifestos all they want, but if they can't get into the elementary school building... they'll try to get into an easier one.

What OP is telling you, that you don't seem to grasp, is that despite the secondary schools being bigger, they have better safety measures and resources in place compared to their elementary counterparts.

I don't disagree, but you don't need to sneak in through a side door. Someone with bad intent can walk straight in through the front door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why just elementary schools, OP? Usually shootings are in high schools or middle schools.

Did you completely miss Sandy Hook and Uvalde? How can you ask why focus on elementary schools?

PP you replied to. Because

A. My kids only ever had threats and lockdowns at their respective MCPS high schools (Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Walter Johnson), never when they were in the middle or elementary schools of those clusters.

B. Having volunteered in all those buildings, I can tell you that middle and high school buildings are much larger, with a lot more exterior doors, and it's far easier to get in if someone forgets to lock a door or holds the door for you. At my kids' elementary schools, there were fewer doors and fewer comings and goings to keep track of.

This is the lived experience of a parent who has been through K-12 with that kind of fear at the back of my mind.

I know your kids are probably in elementary, which is why you're focusing on those, but the reality is that larger buildings are exponentially more at risk. The mentally ill can write manifestos all they want, but if they can't get into the elementary school building... they'll try to get into an easier one.

What OP is telling you, that you don't seem to grasp, is that despite the secondary schools being bigger, they have better safety measures and resources in place compared to their elementary counterparts.

GREAT! Let's make ALL SCHOOLS safer for our kids. Right now however there is an inequity in safety when it comes to elementary schools vs middle and high schools. You can't teach dead kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why just elementary schools, OP? Usually shootings are in high schools or middle schools.

Did you completely miss Sandy Hook and Uvalde? How can you ask why focus on elementary schools?

PP you replied to. Because

A. My kids only ever had threats and lockdowns at their respective MCPS high schools (Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Walter Johnson), never when they were in the middle or elementary schools of those clusters.

B. Having volunteered in all those buildings, I can tell you that middle and high school buildings are much larger, with a lot more exterior doors, and it's far easier to get in if someone forgets to lock a door or holds the door for you. At my kids' elementary schools, there were fewer doors and fewer comings and goings to keep track of.

This is the lived experience of a parent who has been through K-12 with that kind of fear at the back of my mind.

I know your kids are probably in elementary, which is why you're focusing on those, but the reality is that larger buildings are exponentially more at risk. The mentally ill can write manifestos all they want, but if they can't get into the elementary school building... they'll try to get into an easier one.

The older kids can run and fight back.

What OP is telling you, that you don't seem to grasp, is that despite the secondary schools being bigger, they have better safety measures and resources in place compared to their elementary counterparts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SIGN UP. SHOW UP. SPEAK UP.

This is only way we are going to bring about any change.

Yes. The Board of Ed relies on people being too busy to show up. If even 10 people from each elementary school showed up to the Jan 9 board of ed meeting, there would be over 1,300 people...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why just elementary schools, OP? Usually shootings are in high schools or middle schools.

Did you completely miss Sandy Hook and Uvalde? How can you ask why focus on elementary schools?

PP you replied to. Because

A. My kids only ever had threats and lockdowns at their respective MCPS high schools (Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Walter Johnson), never when they were in the middle or elementary schools of those clusters.

B. Having volunteered in all those buildings, I can tell you that middle and high school buildings are much larger, with a lot more exterior doors, and it's far easier to get in if someone forgets to lock a door or holds the door for you. At my kids' elementary schools, there were fewer doors and fewer comings and goings to keep track of.

This is the lived experience of a parent who has been through K-12 with that kind of fear at the back of my mind.

I know your kids are probably in elementary, which is why you're focusing on those, but the reality is that larger buildings are exponentially more at risk. The mentally ill can write manifestos all they want, but if they can't get into the elementary school building... they'll try to get into an easier one.

What OP is telling you, that you don't seem to grasp, is that despite the secondary schools being bigger, they have better safety measures and resources in place compared to their elementary counterparts.

GREAT! Let's make ALL SCHOOLS safer for our kids. Right now however there is an inequity in safety when it comes to elementary schools vs middle and high schools. You can't teach dead kids.

The reality is that no school is safe with Peter Moran in charge of schools.

[Anonymous]

Safety has to be, and must always be the first priority. As the other poster said "you can't teach dead kids".

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]YES! So many parents have no idea that teachers can’t call 911. Cell phones don’t work. Some have no landlines. MCPS will never tell parents, either. It’s all a giant cover up to avoid spending money on anything other than DEI. [/quote]

There are call buttons in each classroom to call the office and classrooms have landlines.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]YES! So many parents have no idea that teachers can’t call 911. Cell phones don’t work. Some have no landlines. MCPS will never tell parents, either. It’s all a giant cover up to avoid spending money on anything other than DEI. [/quote]

There are call buttons in each classroom to call the office and classrooms have landlines.[/quote]

^ FAKE NEWS ^

[Anonymous]

This is an awful lot of expense, and what will it do? Cameras, for example, are very expensive to install, operate, monitor and maintain. They would not provide any type of proactive/preventative safety, but they’d make some security companies very happy if we spent a bunch of tax money on them.

Identify the highest impact item(s) and go for what will really make a difference. Make it a practical proposal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child's elementary school has an alarm system that calls the police if the empty building is broken into, but no alarm to call the police when the children are in school. How F*ck*d UP is that?!?!?

Nah. they probably lied to you about that, too. The system calls another office in the county and not the police. I mean, it would be F*cked up if that was the case, but it's even worse than you thought.