Counterpoint

All text printed in italics is from this article in the HoCo Times by Kate Magill:

Howard County looks to add door locks, 4 officers to bolster school security 


Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman announced Tuesday that he is committing $1.1 million in his upcoming budgets for school security initiatives, including more door locks at high schools and additional police officers for middle schools.

AltonSterling

Three new school resource officers, and a supervisor, would join the three officers assigned to serve six middle schools: Mayfield Woods, Patuxent Valley, Wilde Lake, Harper's Choice, Lake Elkhorn and Oakland Mills.

Stephon Clark

Until the additional school resource officers arrive, Gardner said the department will mandate all patrol officers to add public and private schools in their beats to their regular patrol rounds.

Tamir Rice 

“So the role here is for our road officers, in their beats, to make at least one check per day of going in, checking in with school administration and staff, getting to know them, also if time allows walking in the school, interacting with students and if time permits, to even have lunch with the students,” Gardner said. “This is not something new, this is something that officers have done on their own in the past, but this is now just formalizing that program.”

Philando Castille

Martirano said the school system plans to have “enhanced communication” with families about the increased police presence in schools to ease anxieties that parents or children may have, but he did not provide specifics.


Eric Garner

The idea of an increased police presence has been met with concern from some community members, including Howard County NAACP President Willie Flowers, who said while he sees the value in helping officers and students to get to know one another, he didn’t believe the initiative has been well communicated to parents. 

Michael Brown 

I know they mean well. I know they feel they are simply doing their jobs, doing the best they can to protect students using the resources they have available to them. But I wonder. I wonder if our new director of Diversity and Inclusion, Kevin Gilbert, was seated at the table when these plans were being made. 

Sandra Bland

We know that learning is adversely affected by stress. The County Executive and the Superintendent are hoping to allay fears about school shootings.

Freddie Gray

What about the learning of students whose life experiences have taught them to fear police?

Walter Scott

I don’t know. I just don’t.