Student safety and well‑being committee reports interim findings; cites data, inconsistency and DJS limits

The Student Safety and Well‑Being Advisory Committee, created by a Board of County Commissioners resolution in May 2024, presented an interim progress report on Aug. 26 outlining data gathering, subcommittee work and emerging recommendations.

Committee Chair Pastor Dana Jones and Vice Chair Leslie Irvin told commissioners the body has held 10 internal meetings and three public input sessions and formed five subcommittees focused on safe and supportive environments, support for school staff, empowering positive student behavior, modern facilities and family/community engagement. The group collected presentations and data from the Maryland Center for School Safety, the Calvert County Public Schools student‑services team, the health department, state and local law enforcement, the local care team and the state’s attorneys’ offices.

The committee reported several early findings: inconsistent application of discipline and code-of-conduct practices across schools; low parent/guardian engagement in required follow-through for some interventions; rising vaping incidents district‑wide and increased reporting where sensors have been installed; and staffing gaps such as school psychologists (at the time of presentation, school‑psychologist vacancies were noted as a significant issue). The committee also noted a recent administrative restriction on public presentations by the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) that limited an anticipated public briefing; the committee said it had received DJS information in executive session and is seeking to arrange a public presentation when possible so the public understands how juvenile‑services policy and statutory changes affect school discipline and referral paths.

Committee members said they administered a public survey in July (designed from subcommittee inputs) and received hundreds of responses; preliminary themes included bullying, vaping, mental‑health support for students and staff, and the need for safety training. The committee is compiling the anecdotal detail in a way that protects privacy (personnel and arrest information) and plans to craft recommendations that emphasize better coordination, clearer public communication about procedures, a centralized public data hub for safety and wellness metrics, and early‑intervention work at the elementary level.

The committee expects to produce a final report with recommendations and requested that BOCC and the Board of Education consider a joint meeting to review findings and next steps once the report is finalized.

Ending: The committee thanked county staff for support and said it will continue data collection, round‑table review and draft recommendations, with a plan to deliver a final report for BOCC and school‑system consideration.