Montgomery County Public Schools request 52 additional security guards amid safety concerns

BETHESDA, Md. - Montgomery County Public Schools is requesting 52 additional security guards - the measures to increase security were discussed at a Tuesday meeting as Bethesda Chevy-Chase parents sounded off again on serious school safety concerns.  

Councilmember Andrew Friedson hosted the B-CC school safety meeting, which comes after two recent gun-related incidents forced the high school into lockdown a week apart from one another.

MCPS requests additional security guards

This is not the first time parents have met to discuss their concerns with school and school system leadership. Other incidents that drew parents to speak out over the years have included gun scares, fights after football games, students found drunk in school bathroom and carjackings.

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Taylor included the request for 52 new safety and security staff positions in MCPS' FY26 Operating Budget, tentatively adopted by the Board of Education last month.

Councilmember Andrew Friedson, whose district includes Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School, tells FOX 5 it's a request the council will review, but they first have to wait for the County Executive to submit his budget to the council next week. The budget is expected to be passed by the end of May.

Frustration from parents 

Friedson said the frustration from parents at the Tuesday meeting was "palpable" and there is concern needed increases in security won't come soon enough.

"If they do occur, some of which are just being looked at, some of which have actually been requested for a budget process, they wouldn't be implemented until-at the absolute earliest-next year," Friedson told FOX 5's Stephanie Ramirez.

READ MORE: MCPS parents continue to push for more safety measures after gun incidents

"There are mental health, behavioral health, and major challenges facing our young people across the board. That's not unique to BCC. That's happening everywhere," Friedson said when asked what could be triggering the safety issues.

"It is impacting the students, it's impacting the families, the teachers and staff, and it's also impacting the broader community in a really significant way," Friedson added.

Asked what the council can do, Friedson tells FOX 5, that's why he led the way in adding accountability metrics on school performance. 

"We can't cut from the school system; we can decide how much more we add to the school system. Right now, they have a major ask of over $300 million above last year's budget," Friedson said. "Ultimately, we're going to see what the county executive recommends and how he intends to fund that, how that works with some of the other projects that he wants to fund within the budget ... for me there's nothing more important than safety. School safety, public safety, we've got to get that right and that needs to be the priority and the focus." 

FOX 5's Julie Donaldson, who spoke with parents at the Tuesday night meeting, says B-CC school officials are also discussing no longer allowing students off campus during school hours.

School Resource Officers to Community Engagement Officers

MCPS is the same school system that, during the Coronavirus Pandemic, saw the School Resource Officer program removed. It was renamed and changed with a new Memorandum of Understanding between MCPS and Montgomery County Police.  

That agreed-upon MOU is what allows the school officer positions to be funded and is separate from school security guard positions. 

"That CEO program is extremely confusing," Friedson said. "I don't think the officers have a full understanding of what they're supposed to do. I don't think teachers and students, families and staff really understand what the role is. There's a police officer that is intended to cover a whole cluster now as opposed to a particular school, and they're in the vicinity; they're not necessarily in the building on a regular basis. That has caused confusion. There have been some real challenges of that implementation. I really do think we need to reassess whether or not that change has worked."

"In terms of those 52 security positions, in general you need both," he added, "In every other school district in the state, there's security personnel and police, SRO, personnel. I don't think one replaces the other. Ultimately, you do need a security team in a school to help address some of these issues." 

The council member also emphasized the importance of have a clear plan and understanding of what their security roles are. 

Chair of the council's Education and Culture Committee, Councilmember Will Jawando tells FOX 5 there is definitely more to the conversation.

Jawando originally announced a bill to get rid of MCPS' SROs. He's hosting three Education Budget Forums with the MCPS Superintendent:

• Thursday, March 13th - virtual
• Monday, March 17th - Springbrook HS
• Tuesday, April 1st - Rockville HS

Metal detectors could be considered

Another major consideration is metal detectors. Donaldson says officials estimated metal detectors could cost $100 million to implement in the county's 25 high schools. Chief of MCPS Security and Compliance Marcus Jones told parents, training is necessary and they're also reviewing how other school districts have implemented the added security feature. 

Asked what the council can do, Friedson tells FOX 5,  that's why he led the way in adding accountability metrics on school performance. 

"We can't cut from the school system, we can decide how much more we add to the school system. Right now, they have a major ask of over $300 million above last year's budget. Ultimately, we're going to see what the county executive recommends and how he intends to fund that, how that works with some of the other projects that he wants to fund within the budget," said Friedson, "… For me there's nothing more important than safety. School safety, public safety, we've got to get that right and that needs to be the priority and the focus." 

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