Breaking: MCPS Chief Safety Officer Ed Clarke Removed from Position. Parents' Coalition had Exposed Failure to Report as Required by Law @mcps @mocoboe @pcmc1

In December of 2022, the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD obtained documents from the Maryland Center for School Safety regarding MCPS' compliance with Maryland's serious school incident reporting requirements.  

The Parents' Coalition had filed a Maryland Public Information Act request and upon receipt of our request, we were contacted by the Center for School Safety for a telephone conference with their staff attorney Dawn Luedtke.  Dawn Luedtke is now a Montgomery County Councilmember.  

The documents we obtained showed that MCPS had not complied with Maryland law with regard to reporting serious incidents.  ABC7 reported on this revelation. 

MCPS gave the excuse that their Chief Safety Officer, Edward Clarke, was not aware of the filing requirements.  But Edward Clarke was formerly the head of the Maryand Center for School Safety and had lobbied for the creation of that office.  

Since the ABC7 news report aired in December, Edward Clarke has been removed from his position and placed in MCPS Human Relations Department with the position of Administrator Special Assignment. 

On June 27, 2023, the Montgomery County Board of Education appointed a new Chief Safety Officer, Pamela B. Wheeler-Taylor. 

MCPS explains why it failed to properly report school shooting and stabbings

...Sartucci showed 7News documents from the Maryland Center for School Safety. She obtained them after filing a Maryland Public Information Act request.

..."There were three school incidents, and the law was not followed," she said.

Sartucci referred to the January shooting at Magruder High and November 2021 stabbings at Montgomery Blair and Clarksburg High Schools.

"There was no after-action committee meeting. There was no report done. We basically find the law as written is worthless."

Changes to Maryland law in 2020 require school systems that experience a critical, life-threatening incident to notify the Maryland Center for School Safety no less than 24 hours after the school system learns of the incident...

MCPS explains why it failed to properly report school shooting and stabbings | WJLA

Breaking: ‘Unaware’ of Changed Deadlines, MCPS Did Not Hold Reviews of Violent Incidents in Time

After-action reviews of stabbings at Montgomery Blair and Clarksburg high schools during the recently-completed school year were not conducted within the required 45 days.

The Maryland Center for School Safety must be notified of any “critical, life-threatening incident” that takes place in a public school within 24 hours after the school learns of the incident. MCPS did notify the state in the proper time...

...Edward Clarke, Montgomery County Public School Chief Safety Officer, who was the former director of the Maryland Center for School Safety, was unaware the timeline reporting requirements..

https://www.mymcmedia.org/unaware-of-changed-deadlines-mcps-did-not-hold-reviews-of-violent-incidents-in-time/?fbclid=IwAR2sflOaith6eN8K_-WkwKsS5Ror3GSw9ECB2Y1_nTV2l7MrG4fGtAKZwcY

MCPS Safety Message

English | español | 中文 | français | tiếng Việt | 한국어| አማርኛ Ensuring Student Safety - A Message from MCPS Chief Safety Officer Edward A. Clarke Video with English open captions Table of Contents Building Safety After-school Supervision Student Health and Wellness Bus Safety Safety Policies Pedestrian Safety Prevention of Child Abuse Bullying Prevention Environmental Safety Digital Safety As a new school year nears, it is important that we revisit the important topic of safety. Our core purpose as a school system is to prepare all students to thrive in their futures, and we know this cannot be achieved if students don’t feel safe and welcome in our schools. For this reason, MCPS is committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for students and staff. We do this through a comprehensive, coordinated and strategic approach to systemwide safety and security. Our work is built on the foundation of state and local laws and Montgomery County Board of Education policies, and informed by the voices of students, staff, parents and community members. Use the table of contents or scroll down to see some of the ways MCPS is working to ensure student safety every day. Building Safety Updated school emergency plans at every school (Learn more) On-site emergency teams at each school to assist in a school emergency. A partnership with the Montgomery County Police Department, fire and rescue services, and other county agencies to support schools during emergencies (Read the MOU) School safety evaluations conducted at all schools and educational sites Mandatory safety drills for fire and weather emergencies Enhanced preparations training for active assailant emergencies (Learn more) A school resource officer in every high school (Read more) Hundreds of dedicated MCPS security staff who support elementary, middle and high schools across the county Controlled access systems and entryways at schools Expansion of security vestibules at schools A visitor management system at schools that screens all visitors though state and national sex offender databases A comprehensive report on school safety and security (Read the 2018 report and action plan) Security cameras in all high and middle schools, with cameras being added to elementary schools Mandatory training for school resource officers and security staff A focus and vigilance from all staff members on building security After-school Supervision Enhanced supervision plans required for each sport and after-school activity An external review of after-school supervision safety to be released in September 2019, in coordination with the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office Student Health and Wellness Be Well 365 comprehensive social-emotional skills building in all schools (Learn more) Resources on the dangers of vaping (Link) School-based wellness centers  School Community Health Nurses or School Health Room Technicians in every school (Learn more) Suicide prevention training for students at all middle and high schools Access to anonymous tip line to report concerns regarding mental health crises, bullying, threats of violence and more (Learn more) BTheOne mental health campaign in partnership with Montgomery County, Every Mind and Family Services, Inc. (Learn about the campaign) Staff training on behavioral threat assessment A comprehensive health curriculum for students at all levels Mental health resources and crisis supports for students (Learn more)  Mandatory training for all staff on suicide prevention and intervention A streamlined reporting process for suicide risk reporting (Read more) Linkages to Learning initiative (Read more) Recovery Academic Program for students emerging from addiction (Learn more) Resources for Montgomery County Substance Abuse Assessment and Treatment (See the resources) Restorative justice programs for students (Learn more) Mandatory cultural proficiency training for educators Bus Safety Cameras on the interior and exterior of all buses (Watch the “Respect the Bus” video) The rollout of seatbelts on special education buses (Read more) New safety protocols on special education buses (Read about the protocols) Safety Legislation, Policies, Regulations and Guidelines Passage of the Maryland Safe to Learn Act of 2018 (Read the Act)   Adoption of Board of Education Policy COA: Student Well-being and School Safety (Learn More) Development of Regulation COA-RA, which outlines protocols for Behavioral Threat Assessment  (Read the Regulation)  Implementation of Policy ACA: Nondiscrimination, Equity, and Cultural Proficiency(Read the policy) Pedestrian Safety Pedestrian safety resources (Learn more) Pedestrian Safety Public Service Announcement – “Getting to School is Not a Race” (Watch) Partnership with Montgomery County Government to promote pedestrian and bike safety (Watch the video) Pedestrian safety lessons embedded in the health curriculum Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Multi-point background checks for all employees, contractors and certain volunteers (Learn more) Mandatory training for employees, contractors and volunteers in preventing, recognizing and reporting child abuse and neglect (Take the training) Age- and developmentally appropriate personal body safety lessons for all students (See the lessons) Streamlined reporting process for incidents of abuse (Review our MCPS policy and reports on child abuse) A code of conduct for all employees (Read more) Creation of the Child Abuse and Neglect Stakeholder Continuous Improvement Team (Read more) Online Reporting of Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (See form) Bullying and Harassment Prevention A streamlined process for reporting incidents of bullying (Bullying Reporting Form) Training for all employees on preventing and reporting bullying, harassment and intimidation Training for all student-athletes on identifying hazing and promoting a positive culture (Learn more) Increased emphasis on sportsmanship expectations at all athletic events to encourage prevention and reporting of discriminatory behavior Gang-awareness training for MCPS staff in collaboration with law enforcement partner agencies Updated guidelines regarding student gender identity matters (Read more) Counseling support for students Guidelines for Respecting Religious Diversity (Read the guidelines) Annual Choose Respect healthy teen dating conference (Learn more) Environmental Safety Drinking water testing (Learn more) Fire safety (Learn more) Playground safety (Read more) Radon testing (Review the reports) Athletics safety (Read more) Digital Safety Guidelines on data privacy and security (Read more) Lessons on digital citizenship and combating cyberbullying and harassment for students (Learn more) Mandatory training for staff on safety and security in a digital age Social media best practices for staff (Learn More) Best practices for email and other digital communications for staff (Learn more) We look forward to a great and safe school year with you! Sincerely, Edward A. Clarke Chief Safety Officer