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 of marijuana. During that search officials recovered a three‑D printed frame in the style of a Glock and 13 rounds of ammunition along with marijuana. The district said the firearm was recovered during the search and was not used and that staff and the SRO handled the incident without injuries.

State review and reporting requirements

District staff described the state’s critical‑incident reporting process: CCPS must prepare an initial draft after‑action report within 45 days of a “critical life‑threatening incident,” participate in an after‑action meeting hosted by the Maryland Center for School Safety, and submit a final report to the state within 100 days. The district also cited the Code of Maryland Regulations and said a student who brings a loaded firearm to school is subject to removal from that school for 365 days while educational services continue in another setting.

What the district says it already does and will add

Presenters emphasized that CCPS maintains a multilayered safety strategy that includes annual school safety plans, frequent drills, security cameras and SROs in some buildings. Jason Stoddard described systemwide measures and argued there is no single solution: “We believe in a multileveled, scalable, evidence‑based school safety strategy,” he said.

Short‑term steps the district said it will implement or expand include: - Additional student and staff drills that model responses when weapons are suspected; - Faster, clearer staff and parent communications protocols and more visible “see something, say something” QR codes and materials at elementary schools; - Expanded mental‑health and trauma response supports immediately following incidents and sustained behavioral supports (Dr. Blanchard described counselors, social workers, psychologists, Hazel Health and community vendor partnerships already in place); - Continued expansion of the district’s youth engagement advocate program, which the district said now places roughly one advocate in each high school plus additional floaters and has been funded incrementally; and - Ongoing review of technology options to monitor entry and alert staff, including camera‑based AI gun detection systems (the district stressed the technology detects visible firearms only and does not find concealed weapons in bags).

What the district said it is studying and the tradeoffs presented

Officials addressed proposed measures frequently raised by parents and the public: metal detectors and clear backpacks. Stoddard summarized the district’s analysis: empirical evidence that metal detectors reduce school violence is limited, installation and operation would be expensive, and they carry operational and psychological tradeoffs. He cited per‑unit estimates of $16,000–$20,000 and said CCPS would likely need on the order of 56 units for systemwide coverage, with initial equipment costs in the low millions and significant recurring staffing costs if detectors were run with recommended staffing levels. He also said clear backpacks are imperfect: once items are placed inside they may not be visible, and earlier pilot programs in other districts have been rolled back for supply and durability reasons.

Discipline, accountability and legal limits

Board members and district administrators repeatedly told listeners there are legal constraints on what the district can impose. Chair Morley and others noted that holding parents criminally accountable falls to the state’s attorney, not the school system. Charmaine Younglotti, identified by the district as the hearing officer, said she reviews disciplinary cases involving weapons and that the Code of Maryland Regulations prescribes the 365‑day removal from the school for a student who brings a loaded firearm, while the district must continue to provide educational services in an alternate setting. Dr. Navarro and other officials described a range of placement options including virtual instruction and alternative programs and said the student discipline code and state law determine many of the available responses.

Community outreach and responsibilities

Officials urged parents to secure firearms and to check children’s belongings. Navarro said the district will expand parent education and advocacy work, and the board urged community partnerships, volunteer engagement and use of PTOs and other local groups. Board Chair Yanel Morley said in her personal capacity she and her husband are responsible gun owners and urged the community to “attack the problems and not each other.”

Next steps and oversight

The district said it will complete its after‑action tasks under state timelines, present options for additional technology and staffing to the board, continue funding and expanding mental‑health services and youth engagement advocates, and bring legislative ideas to state lawmakers where district authority is limited. Officials said they will publish metrics and updates tied to the short‑ and long‑term goals in future board updates and to the district website.

Quotes

“Bringing any weapons, especially guns, is not acceptable in Charles County Public Schools and will not be tolerated,” Board Chair Yanel Morley said.

“Our job is to tell you the truth,” Jason Stoddard said. “The honest answer is we can’t guarantee your children’s safety, and no one can. However, we do everything that we can to keep your baby safe every day.”

“We have school counselors, school social workers, school psychologists on staff in all of our buildings,” Dr. Michael Blanchard said, describing existing mental‑health resources and curriculum changes to expand gun‑safety instruction.

Ending

District officials said they will continue to update the public, post materials and recordings online and return to the board and community with after‑action findings and proposals. The board encouraged parents to engage with schools and local officials, join board meetings and participate in planned fall and ongoing safety efforts.