State Senator Steve Waugh addresses attendees to a meeting regarding school safety.
Lexington Park, MD – While many of his GOP colleagues were hob-knobbing with the governor at his Primary Election opponent’s fundraiser, State Senator Steve Waugh stood in a half-empty room and faced the music. Waugh held the meeting at the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department for the purpose of updating his District 29 constituents on the Maryland Safe to Learn Act of 2018. According to a legislative synopsis, among other things the measure requires the Maryland Center for School Safety (MCSS) to work with several entities statewide in developing policies to address such issues as school building safety, training resource officers and other security employees and provide grants to local school systems to enhance safety. “It was one of the better moments of the Maryland Legislature I have seen in four years,” said Waugh of the measure’s passage. The bill will go into effect June 1.
While the legislation does increase the state allocation to the MCSS to $40 million, Waugh conceded, “it’s not enough.” Since the MCSS will be distributing the funds to Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions, there is no way to determine how much Calvert and St. Mary’s will receive.
“Each school is going to be assessed,” said Waugh, adding that the data culled from those assessments will affect state budget requisitioning. The first-term state senator indicated the bill’s origin was a reaction to the mass shooting that occurred in February at a Florida high school. The tragic March 20 incident at Great Mills High School prompted a “major revision” in the legislation, Waugh said. In addition to school safety measures, the bill that was passed earlier this month before the General Assembly adjourned contains mental health provisions and organizational changes.
Former St. Mary’s County Board of Education (BOE) member Dr. Sal Raspa suggested the state money allocated to St. Mary’s should go the school board and not the county commissioners for decisions on how it will be used. “The state’s going to monitor it anyway,” said Raspa.
Waugh indicated additional money for schools is expected to come from state gaming revenues and the Kirwin Commission. The latter panel is reviewing and assessing educational finance formulas and accountability procedures. The additional money would be allocated by the Maryland State Department of Education.
The mental health provisions could pose challenges. A woman in the audience called St. Mary’s County the mental health therapy referral system at her child’s school “a joke.” Waugh conceded that there is not enough funding to get a counselor in every school in the upcoming year but further efforts will be made next year.
Dr. Laurence Polsky (pictured), who is Calvert County’s health officer, resides in St. Mary’s County and has a child attending public school. Polsky said the mental health services available to Calvert County Public Schools is both “financially sustainable” and effective because “we know our community” with referrals coming from teachers and parents. “We have a wonderful program and we have been trying to share it with other counties.” Polsky added that the Calvert County Health Department “has a wonderful relationship with the school system.”
A St. Mary’s County teacher in the audience indicated the same relationship did not exist in her county. “Until all these departments start working together we’re not going to solve this problem,” she said.
The organizational changes the bill mandates will require every school district to have a safety coordinator and school resource officers will be trained through a state curriculum. Waugh stated, “every school is going to have to have a school resource officer” or local police must guarantee a quick response time. Melissa Willey, whose daughter Jaelynn Rose Willey, lost her life as a result of the March 20 shooting incident at Great Mills High, expressed doubt that mandating a quick response time was going to be effective. “We’re going to try to do more [in the next session],” Waugh assured her. Adding that his original proposal when the bill was being drafted in committee was for a half-a billion dollars, Waugh stated, “I did the best I can.” Waugh also stated that efforts to convince lawmakers to fund installation of metal detectors in public schools had inadequate support. He noted that other states are making the implementation of metal detectors work successfully.
Raspa told the concerned parents that they needed to make their voices heard at BOE meetings. “Show up and speak up,” he said. Waugh suggested that concerned citizens consider applying for the soon-to –be-established School Safety Advisory Committee that will be working with the MCSS.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com