Let's Talk School Safety, Tazeen!
School safety is one of the most important responsibilities we share as a community, and recent incidents across Montgomery County have made clear that this conversation cannot be delayed.
Last week, a
Walt Whitman High School student was arrested after allegedly bringing a loaded handgun onto school property following an altercation at Westfield Montgomery Mall.
Earlier this year, MCPS also experienced a shooting inside Wootton High School, incidents involving firearms at Norwood, Watkins Mill and Gaithersburg High Schools, and a shooting in the Blake High School parking lot. And many of us remember prior years' of multiple lockdowns and gun violence involving students at BCC. These events are deeply concerning for students, families, and educators across our county and District 16.
In 2021, Montgomery County transitioned away from permanently assigned School Resource Officers (SROs) in high schools and moved toward a Community Engagement Officer (CEO) model. Under the previous SRO model, police officers were stationed full-time inside individual schools and often became involved in day-to-day disciplinary situations and student interactions.
By contrast, the CEO model assigns officers to broader community clusters rather than specific schools, with a more limited role focused on relationship-building, safety coordination, mentoring, and responding to serious incidents when needed. Supporters of that decision raised legitimate concerns about the role law enforcement played in routine student discipline and the disproportionate impact on Black and Brown students. Those concerns remain important and deserve to be taken seriously. At the same time, recent events have led many residents to ask whether our current school safety framework is meeting the moment.
This conversation is not simply about police presence in schools; it's about building a modern, accountable, and student-centered approach to safety.
That means strengthening prevention and mental health supports, improving coordination between schools, community partners, and public safety agencies, increasing transparency around school safety data, and exploring reforms that ensure rapid emergency response while maintaining strong accountability and clear boundaries around student discipline.
Most importantly, it involves making families a key part of the effort and the conversation, before issues arise not afterwards. MCPS and school leadership need to see families and teachers as partners, not simply as inboxes to receive policy update emails.
I believe our community deserves thoughtful leadership willing to engage this issue with both compassion and urgency. Our children deserve schools where they can focus on learning, belonging, and thriving in their academic environment while feeling safe and supported.
As always, feel free to reach out anytime at tazeen@tazeenformaryland.com.
With heart and purpose,
Tazeen Ahmad
Candidate for Delegate
Leading with Heart, Delivering with Purpose