Charles County Public Schools outlines response, lessons after two recent incidents involving firearms

Charles County Public Schools officials laid out timelines, safety protocol updates and next steps at a May 6 virtual town hall after two separate incidents this spring in which students brought firearms to school.

Board Chair Yanel Morley opened the meeting by calling school safety “the topic of tonight’s town hall” and saying, “Bringing any weapons, especially guns, is not acceptable in Charles County Public Schools and will not be tolerated.” Superintendent Maria Navarro, Director of Safety and Security Jason Stoddard and Director of Student Services Dr. Michael Blanchard gave a detailed account of each incident, findings from initial reviews and a range of short‑ and long‑term actions the district plans to pursue.

Why it matters: officials said the district must both sustain day‑to‑day safety practices and pursue additional steps after a near‑miss shooting at Billingsley Elementary and a recovered firearm at Westlake High. The board emphasized the limits of what a school system can legally and practically require, urged responsible gun storage by families, and described required state reporting and review timelines.

The incidents and timelines

Officials described two separate events this spring. At Billingsley Elementary, staff say a student showed a firearm to classmates on April 8 and April 9; on the morning of April 10 a shot was fired in a classroom at about 9:30 a.m. The classroom contained 23 students, three adults and a volunteer. District materials and presenters said initial reactions did not identify the sound as a gunshot; an assistant principal arrived roughly three minutes after the sound, and the school resource officer (SRO) located and removed a firearm about 20 minutes later. CCPS sent its first community communication at 9:56 a.m. and dismissed students at noon; buses left at about 12:18 p.m.

At Westlake High, the district said an arrival‑time interaction on April 24 led staff to search a student who was reported to smell strongly…