PGCPS officials describe security upgrades, new "Safe Passage" coordinators after parent complaints about inconsistent school policies

A parent and Prince George's County Public Schools officials used the board's March 13 work session to press and report on measures intended to make county schools safer.

"My name is Keish Jones. My son is Keish Mazori. He is 6 years old, a first grader," said Keish Jones, a parent who said school-to-school variation in how policies are enforced has made it difficult to resolve concerns. "It has been very conflicting because it seems as though there are policies in place, but principals have the right to configure how much of a policy they want to abide to or not abide to in their school." The board did not respond to comments during public comment as part of its rules.

Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) leaders described a range of security and safety steps they say are reducing contraband and incidents districtwide. Director Gary Cunningham of Safety and Security Services told the board that "if our kids, have to worry about safety, they can't learn," and outlined training, staffing and equipment changes.

Why it matters: PGCPS serves more than 130,000 students in roughly 198 schools and more than 200 facilities. Changes to how the district manages school security and pedestrian safety affect daily student access, staffing needs and capital planning across the county.

What officials told the board

- Staffing and training: Cunningham said the department includes about 220 safety and security staff (described in the presentation as sworn personnel with arrest powers) who receive minimum-state training from the Maryland Center for School Safety and annual continuing education. He said deployments are adjusted based on incident reviews, vacancies and school needs and that additional personnel were added last year at Bowie High School, Charles Herbert Flowers High School, Henry Wise, High Point, Northwestern, and Suitland High School.

- New hires and roles: The district has added two "Safe Passage" coordinators, scheduled to start March 24, one assigned to northern-area schools and one to southern-area schools. Cunningham said those coordinators will investigate transportation and pedestrian-safety complaints reported through the district system and coordinate with municipal and state agencies.

- Physical and technological upgrades: The district has installed metal detectors in all high schools and in 10 middle schools/academies, placed 162 security enhancements across campuses, and is upgrading camera systems with AI-capable hardware (officials said they have not activated facial-recognition features). Schools also have visitor-management systems that scan identification and check offenders' registries.

- Health and emergency equipment: PGCPS maintains AEDs in every school and has placed bleed-control kits alongside AEDs. Cunningham said the district replaces expired or used kits.

- Targeted sensors and pilots: The district piloted vape detectors at High Point High School after overdoses and observed a drop in vaping incidents; Bowie High School purchased detectors as well. Officials said they want to expand vape-detection but funding has constrained rollout.

- Data and results: Officials said a midyear comparison (July 1–Jan. 30 for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 school years) shows "a significant reduction in the number of security incidents" in many categories. Cunningham told the board that for schools with metal detectors "we've not had 1 firearm enter those schools that we're aware of" and that the district is seeing reductions in narcotics, vaping devices and knives.

- Interagency cooperation: The district is coordinating with Prince George's County Police, the State Highway Administration and the county Department of Public Works and Transportation on pedestrian safety and traffic-calming requests. Officials said they also established a point of contact with the Maryland office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and with the district's general counsel for responses to any ICE-related inquiries.

Board questions and follow-ups

Board members pressed for more detail on training for de-escalation, substitute and teacher training, placement and hiring of safety staff, and how the district prioritizes schools for upgrades. Officials said school size, incident counts and building configuration shape staffing decisions, and that the SRO (school resource officer) program is managed by the Prince George's County Police Department while the district hires and assigns its safety-and-security assistants.

Funding and grants

Cunningham and other leaders said the district received a $1,100,000 Maryland Center for School Safety grant targeted to security-system upgrades; officials said the district used some of that funding for cameras and targeted system upgrades (Potomac High School was named as a recipient). The district also said the FY25 budget included an increase in safety-and-security positions and that the FY26 proposed budget carries additional staffing requests.

Actions and next steps

District decisions described in the presentation and Q&A included continuing to pilot and evaluate vape detectors, moving camera systems to digital and AI-capable hardware when replaced, deploying Safe Passage coordinators to handle pedestrian and transportation-safety investigations, maintaining visitor screening systems, and continuing data-driven personnel adjustments.

Ending

District leaders said they will provide regular updates and monthly data on incidents at board members' requests and coordinate with county and state partners on pedestrian safety and traffic-calming measures. The board did not take formal votes on safety policy at the March 13 work session.