Silver Spring middle school delayed contacting police when student was seriously injured

Incident is one of two highlighting lags in reporting

Administrators at Odessa Shannon Middle School delayed contacting Montgomery County police for several hours following an Oct. 22 incident that seriously injured a student when he was struck in the head with a metal object thrown by another student, according to a police report recently posted on social media by the injured boy’s mother.  

The incident at the Silver Spring school occurred at roughly 11 a.m. and resulted in the hospitalization of the student in an intensive care unit. Principal Natasha Booms called 911 for medical aid, but did not contact police until about 5 p.m. that day, the police report said. Responding Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) crews transported the boy to Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring.  

“It should be noted that school staff did not contact [the police department] about this incident when it occurred,” said the report posted on Jan. 14 by Emily Diaz, mother of the injured boy. Bethesda Today confirmed the report’s authenticity with police. 

The October incident is one of two incidents occurring in Montgomery County public schools in recent months in which there was a delay in contacting police —despite a 2022 memorandum of understanding between the police department and the district that details the type of incidents that require police to be contacted immediately...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2026/01/21/silver-spring-middle-school-delays-police/

Montgomery County Public Schools updated their Standard Response Protocol

School District Initiates New Emergency Protocol

  

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) announced its new security protocol “to effectively and efficiently respond to emergency and crisis situations.”

There are now five directives – Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate and Shelter.

Previously, when there was an emergency, schools went into shelter in place or lock down. Shelter was the description given for a broad range of issues including weather, medical emergency or police activity.

Hold now means all hallways must be kept clear. Secure will be used for external threats, including police activity nearby. In that case, everyone will be brought into the school, and the doors will be locked, but normal school activities will continue, according to information on the MCPS website...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/school-district-initiates-new-emergency-protocol/

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

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - Montgomery County Public Schools held a meeting Tuesday night to address concerns about students and gun safety. It comes after two separate gun-related incidents that put Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School on lockdown last month.

While the recent lockdowns happened at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School the impact was felt in the surrounding community leaving parents wanting to know how to prevent another emergency.

This was the fourth safety meeting in two and a half years and that has parents concerned and angry. 

A wide array of topics were discussed, from who is responsible for calling a lockdown to where to go for official information. 

"That happened at 10 a.m. Why are kids allowed out of the campus at any time of day?" one attendee asked. "Why can’t they stay on campus during school hours?"..

MCPS parents continue to push for more safety measures after gun incidents | FOX 5 DC

Groups Speak Out Against Chief Jones’ New Job with County Public Schools

Although retiring Police Chief Marcus Jones hasn’t started his new role as Chief of Security and Compliance for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), several groups are speaking out against his appointment.

Young People for Progress, Silver Spring Justice Coalition and Jews United for Justice joined the Decriminalize Montgomery County Campaign to oppose Jones’ recent appointment by the Board of Education.

According to these groups, Jones’ background with the Montgomery County Police Department and his 38 years in law enforcement “makes him unsuitable for working with students.”

Previously, the Decriminalize Montgomery County Campaign fought to end the School Resource Officer program. Under that program, sworn police officers were assigned inside schools...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/groups-speak-out-against-chief-jones-new-job-with-county-public-schools/

Montgomery schools taps retiring county police chief for top security post

Montgomery County’s board of education on Tuesday unanimously appointed Marcus Jones — the county’s retiring police chief — as the new chief of security and compliance for Maryland’s largest school system...

https://wapo.st/4brQJIY