Addressing the level of fear in the public schools community that several recent incidents have prompted will soon be the charge of a 19-member committee. The panel that will appoint most of those members — the Calvert County commissioners — voted Wednesday to formally establish the Student Safety and Well-Being Committee.
Linda Turner, deputy county administrator, presented the drafted resolution at a special meeting on May 29 held due to the power outage last week that prompted the board to adjourn the May 21 regularly scheduled meeting.
“There are incidents in our public schools that elicit fear and concern from parents, students, teachers, our school support staff and our school administrators,” Turner said. “We owe our students, their parents and school staff the integrity to say we will not stand by and do nothing.”
On May 7 the commissioners voted to create a committee focused on school safety. The move was prompted by reports of ongoing incidents at Calvert High School. The incidents were brought to light by several teachers and a student during an April Calvert County Board of Education meeting.
According to the resolution, the committee will be comprised of 15 voting members, including one appointed by the commissioners to serve as chair. Each of the three election districts will have two members “with experience with Calvert County Public Schools as a parent of a child who attended or is currently attending school, or performs services at a school through a nonprofit or faith-based organization.”
Calvert Education Association, which represents the local school system’s teachers, and Calvert Association of Educational Support Staff will each have one committee member. Two members from the sheriff’s office, to be recommended by the sheriff, will be part of the committee and the Maryland State Police Prince Frederick Barrack commander will recommend one committee member for appointment.
The county health officer will appoint two committee members — one with expertise in mental health treatment and the other with experience in treating substance abuse.
The resolution calls for one member recommended by the “Maryland School for Safety Team or Advisory Board” be appointed.
The committee’s non-voting members are the deputy county administrator, the director of community resources, the director of communications and media relations and the superintendent of Calvert County Public Schools.
“To the extent practicable, the membership should provide a fair representation from all three voting districts, the racial, gender and cultural diversity of Calvert County,” the resolution reads. Additionally, “no member may be a candidate for elected office.”
“This is going to be a great thing for our community,” Commissioner Catherine Grasso (R) said.
Attending Wednesday’s meeting remotely, Commissioner Todd Ireland (R) asked if any consideration was given to having at least one student on the committee.
Turner said there was some consideration given to students serving as non-voting members. She added that as it conducts meetings, the committee will be briefed by students and other community members regarding school safety issues.
“We already have several applications,” Commissioner President Earl F. “Buddy” Hance (R) said.
The deadline for submitting an application for consideration for appointment to the student safety committee is June 7.
To apply for an appointment, go to www.calvertcountymd.gov/3787/Student-Safety-and-Well-Being-Advisory-C/.
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