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Charles County superintendent asks commissioners for emergency funding after three handgun incidents
Summary
Superintendent Maria Navarro told the board the district logged three incidents of students bringing handguns to schools in two months and asked county commissioners for one-time funding to install detectors, add gun‑detection software and increase staffing to bolster school safety.
Superintendent Maria Navarro told the Board of Education of Charles County on May 12 that the school system had recorded three separate incidents in the past two months of students bringing handguns to district campuses, including two at Saint Charles High School and one at a middle school. She said the district has asked the county commissioners for emergency one‑time funding to pay for new equipment and staff to enhance safety measures.
Navarro said the immediate measures under consideration include portable weapons‑detection equipment, expanding gun‑detection software on indoor cameras, and conducting random facility checks. "We cannot be paralyzed by these events," Navarro said, framing the request as a mix of prevention, student supports and technology. "These efforts come with an additional price tag of nearly $430,000, but also staffing for an additional $800,000 in our operating budget," she told the board.
The superintendent said Saint Charles High School will pilot installation of software that applies detection to indoor cameras within a few weeks so district staff can evaluate logistics and effectiveness before any wider roll‑out. She said the district has also asked the Charles County Sheriff’s Office for additional patrols and to partner on community education programs about gun violence and responsible ownership.
Board members and presenters repeatedly said school safety requires community and family involvement as well as school action. Navarro emphasized that the district will combine technological upgrades with prevention programs, increased counseling and targeted student supports rather than treating equipment as a single solution.
Next steps: Navarro said the district has submitted a request outside the regular operating budget and hopes to present documentation to county leaders later in May; any expansion to all schools would depend on county approval and state reporting requirements. The superintendent told the board she intends to return in August with a summer report on what has been implemented and what further funding would enable for the coming school year.
