Harford County to bolster security in public schools with tech upgrades, increased staffing
BALTIMORE -- The Harford County Government and the Harford County Board of Education plan to ramp up security measures in public schools in a new partnership, officials said Tuesday.
In a statement, the county said it will allocate funding to schools for security improvements, including advanced weapon detection systems and other electronic upgrades.
County officials said they also plan to add three new School Resource Officers (SROs). Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly intends to approve this as part of the 2025 budget.
The county is spending $1.1 million on short-term security upgrades district-wide to add additional measures after the 2025 budget negotiations.
"School safety is a number one priority. We've got to have safety in all our schools," Cassilly said. "We've got great schools. We have a wonderful community. We've had some unfortunate events that we cannot allow to repeat."
By integrating minimally invasive technologies with more on the ground security, the district hopes to maintain a safe and welcoming learning environment.
"Adding to some of our surveillance measures, upgrading that technology as specifically designed for detection, and we'll have that across all of our schools, from elementary all the way through our secondary schools," said Donoven Brooks, Supervisor of Safety and Security with Harford County Public Schools. "We are looking at every way to improve and enhance our safety and security measures, and it's always ongoing."
District and county officials say they observed advanced school safety techniques on a trip to Dorchester County earlier this fall. Cassilly says some of the ideas presented on that trip will be implemented in Harford County.
Cassilly says he mobilized a pilot program for weapons detections to Joppatowne High School shortly after a deadly shooting there earlier this year. Other security measures are already in place for athletic events, including restricting bags sizes and types.
The county said most of the security measures are set to be implemented before the end of the 2024 calendar year.
Gun Violence in Harford County Schools
Bolstering security in Harford County schools has been at the forefront of discussion among county leaders, especially after two recent incidents involving gun violence.
On September 6, 15-year-old Joppatowne High School student Warren Grant died after being shot inside a school bathroom. A 16-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly pulling a gun from his backpack and shooting Grant.
The shooting prompted school leaders to implement several new safety measures, including a temporary ban on backpacks, bookbags and any other bag large enough to carry a laptop or books. Extra deputies and security personnel were also brought on campus.
The bag ban was reversed after new lockers were installed, though students were then required to store their belongings in their lockers during the school day.
Following the shooting, a parent started a petition with the hopes of pushing district leaders to install metal detectors. The petition garnered about 4,000 within a week.
In November, A 16-year-old allegedly shot and killed a 14-year-old Jai'den Winchester at a Halloween party. Winchester was a student and football player at Havre de Grace High School.
The shooting did not occur on or near the school campus, but Winchester's death deeply impacted the school community. Hundreds of people gathered for a vigil to honor the quarterback a week after the shooting
The gun was registered to the suspect's father, police said.
A moment of silence was held for the two deaths at the county's Board of Education meeting on November 5.
