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State school‑safety center briefs Calvert committee on SRO training, tip line and mandates under Safe to Learn Act
Summary
Joseph 'Dino' Picotero of the Maryland Center for School Safety briefed the committee on the Safe to Learn Act (2018), the Center's training for SROs and school security employees, the Safe Schools Maryland anonymous tip line and the requirement that local education agencies appoint school safety and mental‑health coordinators.
The Calvert County Student Safety and Well‑being Advisory Committee heard a detailed briefing from Joseph Picotero of the Maryland Center for School Safety on statutory responsibilities and statewide supports for schools.
Picotero, who asked the committee to call him Dino, described the center's expanded role under the Safe to Learn Act of 2018. He explained that the law requires each local education agency to appoint a school safety coordinator and a mental‑health services coordinator, maintain multidisciplinary behavioral threat assessment teams and report emergency operations plans for local schools to the Center for review.
Picotero outlined the Center's training programs for school resource officers (SROs) and civilian school security employees: a multi‑week academy being refined for 2025 and ongoing annual in‑service modules. He said the Center provides behavioral threat assessment training, model emergency plans, tabletop exercises and an anonymous app/web tip line called Safe Schools Maryland that routes tips to designated school contacts; only life‑safety tips are automatically forwarded to law enforcement and 911.
"We're teaching cops how not to be cops in a school," Picotero said, describing training that emphasizes de‑escalation, implicit bias awareness and trauma‑informed interventions for law enforcement assigned to schools.
During questions, committee members asked whether tabletop scenarios include nontraditional emergencies such as rumor control and fights; Picotero confirmed a range of scenarios is available on the Center's website and described the Center's regional staffing model and resources for local customization. On whether SRO training is mandatory, the Center said certified SROs and school security employees must maintain required hours for certification and that in‑service refresher training is provided annually.
The brief generated follow‑up requests: committee members asked staff to clarify which Calvert personnel have completed recent trainings, to document the county's 'adequate coverage' plans for schools without a dedicated SRO and to consider offering a generic presentation for school boards.
The Center signaled it will provide additional materials and make its regional representative available to the committee for follow up.
