Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was at Blair 30 yes ago, we had two security guards. Maybe they were SROs — I don’t know. Really huge Black guys that looked like football players but wore red Blazers polo shirts. Everyone liked them and they were visible in hallways. They knew the kids and what was going on in the school. I think they did provide some sense of security for students.

They still have security on staff, but they are not SROs.

Very limited. They didn't replace the SRO's with security guards or even mental health workers, so now there is less, not more.

Anonymous wrote:When I was at Blair 30 yes ago, we had two security guards. Maybe they were SROs — I don’t know. Really huge Black guys that looked like football players but wore red Blazers polo shirts. Everyone liked them and they were visible in hallways. They knew the kids and what was going on in the school. I think they did provide some sense of security for students.

This, when I went to another school. They's stop us and question us if we weren't where we should be but it had nothing to do with race and them doing their jobs. One day I was sick and the nurse couldn't get ahold of my parents and I knew my parents would call the school later so I just left and went home. They saw me walking out so they stopped and questioned me. They had no issue with it, walked me out part way to make sure I was ok and my parent called later.

What one is seeing as harassing students may be the staff doing their job. I was technically skipping school. They didn't know me as I wasn't one to stand out good or bad so it was the right thing to do.

I'd want an SRO or security guard stepping in if my child was misbehaving or not where they should be. I don't care if they give them a lecture, "dad" look or what ever if its the right thing to do.

I don't get parents who don't want others to discipline their kids and yet, they aren't willing to do it themselves.

Anonymous wrote:When I was at Blair 30 yes ago, we had two security guards. Maybe they were SROs — I don’t know. Really huge Black guys that looked like football players but wore red Blazers polo shirts. Everyone liked them and they were visible in hallways. They knew the kids and what was going on in the school. I think they did provide some sense of security for students.

They still have security on staff, but they are not SROs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But an SRO ON campus can see what's going on to the lead up to the incident better than a cop outside the school grounds. But, like I said, if they are patrolling around the school, why can't they be patrolling IN the school, or at least in the parking lot where some of these incidents occurred?

This is a recipe for harassing students of color. Who do you think they were watching closely? One SRO cannot closely watch 3,000 students. They use shortcuts, like that youth with indigenous last names are probably gang members (see upthread), to decide where to focus.

If that's the case, then wouldn't the cops patrolling around the schools be harrassing students of color as they are getting to school, after school? Why have cops around schools at all? Or in your neighborhood, for that matter.

They do that too, in my experience. In the upcounty, not around Blair.

Anonymous wrote:
Unfortunately, there are bad cops. Doesn't mean we should get rid of all cops. Also, if your son was threatened by someone with a knife, would you call a cop or not because he freezes up if a cop comes near him?

It definitely means we should get rid of bad cops, but it is apparently nearly impossible to do that. As the saying goes, "One bad apple spoils the whole barrel."

As for calling the cops for help - you may or may not be aware that many people who called the cops for help instead received harm from the cops who are sworn to serve and protect.

When I was at Blair 30 yes ago, we had two security guards. Maybe they were SROs — I don’t know. Really huge Black guys that looked like football players but wore red Blazers polo shirts. Everyone liked them and they were visible in hallways. They knew the kids and what was going on in the school. I think they did provide some sense of security for students.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But an SRO ON campus can see what's going on to the lead up to the incident better than a cop outside the school grounds. But, like I said, if they are patrolling around the school, why can't they be patrolling IN the school, or at least in the parking lot where some of these incidents occurred?

This is a recipe for harassing students of color. Who do you think they were watching closely? One SRO cannot closely watch 3,000 students. They use shortcuts, like that youth with indigenous last names are probably gang members (see upthread), to decide where to focus.

If that's the case, then wouldn't the cops patrolling around the schools be harrassing students of color as they are getting to school, after school? Why have cops around schools at all? Or in your neighborhood, for that matter.

They do that already. Why add opportunities for further harassment in the building?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Smug or not, he’s correct. I had a kid at Blair (Class of 11) with SROs and there was a stabbing. I believe in the SAC. I have a kid there now (Class of 24). Honestly, I feel my son is safer without the SROs. And I’m the sister of a LEO.

? you have two kids one, who was in class of '11 and another class of '24? That's a wide age span.

How is your son safer without an SRO?

I feel the opposite. I would feel safer with an SRO in my son's school, class of 2023. Also, I went to a really rough HS, and it would've been better to have an SRO than security guards. SROs are more of a deterrent than security guards. SROs also engage with students, and develope relationships with them, become role models.

I have more than two kids. I have two that have been at Blair. A third attends a different MCPS HS. Some SROs have been suspicious of AA boys like my son and not given them the benefit of the doubt or tried to build relationships with them. My son is a great kid and has never been in trouble, but he has been harassed by police officers for simply being a young Black male. He tends to freeze up when there’s confrontation and might not respond quickly enough if questioned harshly or given orders. He’s not failing to be compliant, he is paralyzed with fear.

Unfortunately, there are bad cops. Doesn't mean we should get rid of all cops. Also, if your son was threatened by someone with a knife, would you call a cop or not because he freezes up if a cop comes near him?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But an SRO ON campus can see what's going on to the lead up to the incident better than a cop outside the school grounds. But, like I said, if they are patrolling around the school, why can't they be patrolling IN the school, or at least in the parking lot where some of these incidents occurred?

This is a recipe for harassing students of color. Who do you think they were watching closely? One SRO cannot closely watch 3,000 students. They use shortcuts, like that youth with indigenous last names are probably gang members (see upthread), to decide where to focus.

If that's the case, then wouldn't the cops patrolling around the schools be harrassing students of color as they are getting to school, after school? Why have cops around schools at all? Or in your neighborhood, for that matter.

Anonymous wrote:
But an SRO ON campus can see what's going on to the lead up to the incident better than a cop outside the school grounds. But, like I said, if they are patrolling around the school, why can't they be patrolling IN the school, or at least in the parking lot where some of these incidents occurred?

This is a recipe for harassing students of color. Who do you think they were watching closely? One SRO cannot closely watch 3,000 students. They use shortcuts, like that youth with indigenous last names are probably gang members (see upthread), to decide where to focus.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Smug or not, he’s correct. I had a kid at Blair (Class of 11) with SROs and there was a stabbing. I believe in the SAC. I have a kid there now (Class of 24). Honestly, I feel my son is safer without the SROs. And I’m the sister of a LEO.

? you have two kids one, who was in class of '11 and another class of '24? That's a wide age span.

How is your son safer without an SRO?

I feel the opposite. I would feel safer with an SRO in my son's school, class of 2023. Also, I went to a really rough HS, and it would've been better to have an SRO than security guards. SROs are more of a deterrent than security guards. SROs also engage with students, and develope relationships with them, become role models.

I have more than two kids. I have two that have been at Blair. A third attends a different MCPS HS. Some SROs have been suspicious of AA boys like my son and not given them the benefit of the doubt or tried to build relationships with them. My son is a great kid and has never been in trouble, but he has been harassed by police officers for simply being a young Black male. He tends to freeze up when there’s confrontation and might not respond quickly enough if questioned harshly or given orders. He’s not failing to be compliant, he is paralyzed with fear.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Smug or not, he’s correct. I had a kid at Blair (Class of 11) with SROs and there was a stabbing. I believe in the SAC. I have a kid there now (Class of 24). Honestly, I feel my son is safer without the SROs. And I’m the sister of a LEO.

? you have two kids one, who was in class of '11 and another class of '24? That's a wide age span.

How is your son safer without an SRO?

I feel the opposite. I would feel safer with an SRO in my son's school, class of 2023. Also, I went to a really rough HS, and it would've been better to have an SRO than security guards. SROs are more of a deterrent than security guards. SROs also engage with students, and develope relationships with them, become role models.

Why do armed police officers need to be role models? Can teachers, para educators, counselors, administratirs and support staff not be role models and develop relationships with students??

We've had that this year and clearly its not working. The SRO's are there for violence. A teacher, para, admin is not going to step into a fight.

nor should they. We are asking way too much of teachers. I had one math teach in HS who was a tiny Asian lady. No way would she be able to stop a fight, nor should she. They should be focusing on teaching, not stopping fights.

This is just hilarious. You all say you want police to be role models in schools. I say why? You say because they need to break up fights. Okay, that's not what most people think of when they think about role models.

Let me break it down for you:

1. MCPS staff, who have the education and training to work with children and youth, can serve as ROLE MODELS
2. Security guards can BREAK UP FIGHTS
3. Police can respond to crimes that occur (thankfully, MCPS staff also have PHONES).

And, how is that model you are saying is working for us now? Multiple incidents this year and its only early November. What will it take for MCPS to take things seriously? Someone dying?

I think the model of closing school buildings for 18 months worked terribly and has had lasting impacts. The police arrived within 3 minutes at Blair, how much faster would an SRO stationed in the building have arrived in the parking lot?

You think an SRO on campus would take longer to respond than a cop in a car outside of the campus?

Why can't we have security guards and cops?

Let me break it down to the ^PP... SRO in the school can respond FASTER than a cop in a car that's away from the school.

Thankfully, there were cops not too far from the school so it took them 3min to respond. Are cops always close to the schools during school hours? If they are, why can't they be in the parking lots, at the least.

The cop was nearby because the successor to the SRO program is the Community Engagement Officer program which has officers patrolling the areas around schools. And yes, a cop in a car may be able to get to a parking lot faster than a cop on foot. One SRO in a school of 3,000 kids cannot be everywhere at once, if you want protection everywhere at once you need a lot of people, and those people should probably be security guards because having a cop stationed in every classroom is absurd and a huge waste of taxpayer dollars, not to mention let's not actually make our schools prisons?

But an SRO ON campus can see what's going on to the lead up to the incident better than a cop outside the school grounds. But, like I said, if they are patrolling around the school, why can't they be patrolling IN the school, or at least in the parking lot where some of these incidents occurred?

This has already been discussed upthread. Here is a resource with links to the research if you are actually interested in learning about this topic: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OLO/Resources/Files/resjis/2020/RESJ-Bill46-20.pdf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Smug or not, he’s correct. I had a kid at Blair (Class of 11) with SROs and there was a stabbing. I believe in the SAC. I have a kid there now (Class of 24). Honestly, I feel my son is safer without the SROs. And I’m the sister of a LEO.

? you have two kids one, who was in class of '11 and another class of '24? That's a wide age span.

How is your son safer without an SRO?

I feel the opposite. I would feel safer with an SRO in my son's school, class of 2023. Also, I went to a really rough HS, and it would've been better to have an SRO than security guards. SROs are more of a deterrent than security guards. SROs also engage with students, and develope relationships with them, become role models.

Why do armed police officers need to be role models? Can teachers, para educators, counselors, administratirs and support staff not be role models and develop relationships with students??

We've had that this year and clearly its not working. The SRO's are there for violence. A teacher, para, admin is not going to step into a fight.

nor should they. We are asking way too much of teachers. I had one math teach in HS who was a tiny Asian lady. No way would she be able to stop a fight, nor should she. They should be focusing on teaching, not stopping fights.

This is just hilarious. You all say you want police to be role models in schools. I say why? You say because they need to break up fights. Okay, that's not what most people think of when they think about role models.

Let me break it down for you:

1. MCPS staff, who have the education and training to work with children and youth, can serve as ROLE MODELS
2. Security guards can BREAK UP FIGHTS
3. Police can respond to crimes that occur (thankfully, MCPS staff also have PHONES).

And, how is that model you are saying is working for us now? Multiple incidents this year and its only early November. What will it take for MCPS to take things seriously? Someone dying?

I think the model of closing school buildings for 18 months worked terribly and has had lasting impacts. The police arrived within 3 minutes at Blair, how much faster would an SRO stationed in the building have arrived in the parking lot?

You think an SRO on campus would take longer to respond than a cop in a car outside of the campus?

Why can't we have security guards and cops?

Let me break it down to the ^PP... SRO in the school can respond FASTER than a cop in a car that's away from the school.

Thankfully, there were cops not too far from the school so it took them 3min to respond. Are cops always close to the schools during school hours? If they are, why can't they be in the parking lots, at the least.

The cop was nearby because the successor to the SRO program is the Community Engagement Officer program which has officers patrolling the areas around schools. And yes, a cop in a car may be able to get to a parking lot faster than a cop on foot. One SRO in a school of 3,000 kids cannot be everywhere at once, if you want protection everywhere at once you need a lot of people, and those people should probably be security guards because having a cop stationed in every classroom is absurd and a huge waste of taxpayer dollars, not to mention let's not actually make our schools prisons?

But an SRO ON campus can see what's going on to the lead up to the incident better than a cop outside the school grounds. But, like I said, if they are patrolling around the school, why can't they be patrolling IN the school, or at least in the parking lot where some of these incidents occurred?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Smug or not, he’s correct. I had a kid at Blair (Class of 11) with SROs and there was a stabbing. I believe in the SAC. I have a kid there now (Class of 24). Honestly, I feel my son is safer without the SROs. And I’m the sister of a LEO.

? you have two kids one, who was in class of '11 and another class of '24? That's a wide age span.

How is your son safer without an SRO?

I feel the opposite. I would feel safer with an SRO in my son's school, class of 2023. Also, I went to a really rough HS, and it would've been better to have an SRO than security guards. SROs are more of a deterrent than security guards. SROs also engage with students, and develope relationships with them, become role models.

Why do armed police officers need to be role models? Can teachers, para educators, counselors, administratirs and support staff not be role models and develop relationships with students??

We've had that this year and clearly its not working. The SRO's are there for violence. A teacher, para, admin is not going to step into a fight.

nor should they. We are asking way too much of teachers. I had one math teach in HS who was a tiny Asian lady. No way would she be able to stop a fight, nor should she. They should be focusing on teaching, not stopping fights.

This is just hilarious. You all say you want police to be role models in schools. I say why? You say because they need to break up fights. Okay, that's not what most people think of when they think about role models.

Let me break it down for you:

1. MCPS staff, who have the education and training to work with children and youth, can serve as ROLE MODELS
2. Security guards can BREAK UP FIGHTS
3. Police can respond to crimes that occur (thankfully, MCPS staff also have PHONES).

And, how is that model you are saying is working for us now? Multiple incidents this year and its only early November. What will it take for MCPS to take things seriously? Someone dying?

I think the model of closing school buildings for 18 months worked terribly and has had lasting impacts. The police arrived within 3 minutes at Blair, how much faster would an SRO stationed in the building have arrived in the parking lot?

You think an SRO on campus would take longer to respond than a cop in a car outside of the campus?

Why can't we have security guards and cops?

Let me break it down to the ^PP... SRO in the school can respond FASTER than a cop in a car that's away from the school.

Thankfully, there were cops not too far from the school so it took them 3min to respond. Are cops always close to the schools during school hours? If they are, why can't they be in the parking lots, at the least.

The cop was nearby because the successor to the SRO program is the Community Engagement Officer program which has officers patrolling the areas around schools. And yes, a cop in a car may be able to get to a parking lot faster than a cop on foot. One SRO in a school of 3,000 kids cannot be everywhere at once, if you want protection everywhere at once you need a lot of people, and those people should probably be security guards because having a cop stationed in every classroom is absurd and a huge waste of taxpayer dollars, not to mention let's not actually make our schools prisons?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Smug or not, he’s correct. I had a kid at Blair (Class of 11) with SROs and there was a stabbing. I believe in the SAC. I have a kid there now (Class of 24). Honestly, I feel my son is safer without the SROs. And I’m the sister of a LEO.

? you have two kids one, who was in class of '11 and another class of '24? That's a wide age span.

How is your son safer without an SRO?

I feel the opposite. I would feel safer with an SRO in my son's school, class of 2023. Also, I went to a really rough HS, and it would've been better to have an SRO than security guards. SROs are more of a deterrent than security guards. SROs also engage with students, and develope relationships with them, become role models.

Why do armed police officers need to be role models? Can teachers, para educators, counselors, administratirs and support staff not be role models and develop relationships with students??

We've had that this year and clearly its not working. The SRO's are there for violence. A teacher, para, admin is not going to step into a fight.

nor should they. We are asking way too much of teachers. I had one math teach in HS who was a tiny Asian lady. No way would she be able to stop a fight, nor should she. They should be focusing on teaching, not stopping fights.

This is just hilarious. You all say you want police to be role models in schools. I say why? You say because they need to break up fights. Okay, that's not what most people think of when they think about role models.

Let me break it down for you:

1. MCPS staff, who have the education and training to work with children and youth, can serve as ROLE MODELS
2. Security guards can BREAK UP FIGHTS
3. Police can respond to crimes that occur (thankfully, MCPS staff also have PHONES).

And, how is that model you are saying is working for us now? Multiple incidents this year and its only early November. What will it take for MCPS to take things seriously? Someone dying?

I think the model of closing school buildings for 18 months worked terribly and has had lasting impacts. The police arrived within 3 minutes at Blair, how much faster would an SRO stationed in the building have arrived in the parking lot?

You think an SRO on campus would take longer to respond than a cop in a car outside of the campus?

Why can't we have security guards and cops?

Let me break it down to the ^PP... SRO in the school can respond FASTER than a cop in a car that's away from the school.

Thankfully, there were cops not too far from the school so it took them 3min to respond. Are cops always close to the schools during school hours? If they are, why can't they be in the parking lots, at the least.