Bowie panel urges relationships, mental-health supports and parent engagement to improve school safety
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Summary
Educators, a student leader, a PGCPS board representative and a Bowie police sergeant told a City of Bowie panel that stronger relationships, restorative practices and accessible mental-health supports—paired with thoughtful security measures—are central to safer schools.
Dr. Kalechi Floyd, chair of the City of Bowie Education Committee, opened a March 4 panel on school safety by introducing student leaders, educators, a Prince George’s County Public Schools board representative and Sgt. John McMaster of the Bowie Police Department to discuss how schools can be safe without becoming intimidating.
Panelists front‑loaded relationship-building and preventative supports as essential public‑safety tools. "Now as SROs, what we do is that we're really here to not really arrest. That's a last resort. It's really to mentor the kids, to be friends with the kid, [and] build a bond with them, so that we have a positive relationship," Sgt. John McMaster said, describing the school resource officer role at Bowie High School.
The discussion wove student experience and structural approaches. Addison Levi, president of the Bowie High School SGA, said student‑led anti‑bullying campaigns and increased access to mental‑health professionals are in progress and argued a welcoming culture is critical: "A safe and positive school culture to me is, like, where students and adults can feel, like, mutually respected...the atmosphere is built by care rather than control."
Robin Brown, a PGCPS board representative, pointed to recent climate surveys as guides for where to target resources and said high survey participation helps prioritize spending on security. Brown also reported parental concerns about a "new AI camera software" and noted that a district cell‑phone policy exists but enforcement varies; the details of any AI systems and their deployment were not specified in the panel.
Educators on the panel said mental‑health work should be integrated, not treated as an add‑on. Antoinette Murray, head of the Mandala School, described daily meditation and social‑emotional curricula that begin in kindergarten and extend to adult programming for families so practices are reinforced at home.
Allison Gordon, Kenilworth Elementary PTA vice president, urged active parent engagement in concrete ways—attending meetings, responding to communications and supporting school events—to model community involvement and reduce bullying. "Engagement looks different. It can be responding to emails, showing up physically, [or] posting on different platforms," she said.
Speakers debated the role of technology: McMaster said phones can help parents and officers by quickly sharing information, but also be used to organize fights or spread incidents. Antoinette stressed that online behavior and school culture are no longer separate and urged better home‑school communication to address digital harms.
On disciplinary approach, Robin Brown recommended expanding restorative practices so students and families can talk through incidents and understand root causes rather than defaulting to punishment. Panelists repeatedly emphasized ensuring every student has at least one consistent, trusted adult and building school environments where students feel they belong.
The moderator closed by pointing attendees to resource tables in the lobby staffed by Bowie Police Department, the city’s public‑safety committee, Bowie Youth & Family Services and a transportation specialist, and invited feedback for future "Bowie Speaks" events.
Next steps discussed were largely informal: increased communication among administrators, staff and law enforcement; broader parent engagement; continued implementation of restorative practices; and expansion of mental‑health supports. No formal motions or votes were taken at the panel.
