For Immediate Release: Monday, June 15, 2020
ROCKVILLE, Md., June 15 2020—On June 11, the Montgomery County Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution directing Superintendent Jack Smith to “explore and benchmark alternative discipline programs and processes used to handle school based incidents used by similarly situated school districts that have opted for adequate local law enforcement coverage or other alternatives as opposed to implementing an SRO program in school buildings.” The Board of Education also will examine if the existing SRO program aligns with MCPS’ Strategic Plan. The Education and Culture Committee, which is chaired by Councilmember Craig Rice and includes Councilmember Will Jawando and Councilmember Nancy Navarro, made the following statement about the resolution.
The Education and Culture Committee fully supports the resolution passed by the Board of Education on June 11 to evaluate the SRO program across Montgomery County Public Schools. We are especially pleased that the Board’s resolution calls for the exploration and benchmarking of alternative and successful discipline programs and processes used to handle similar incidents by other jurisdictions. The Committee applauds the work that the Board of Education is doing to improve the well-being of all students and to ensure that every student is provided with a safe and equitable learning environment. In addition to the Board of Education’s work, the Committee will be looking into additional data associated with the SRO program including its scope and the types of police and student incidents. The Committee also will examine alternative programs and processes with the Board of Education to identify the best practices for fostering and maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment for students.
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Release ID: 20-256