Weapons detectors will be installed at every Prince George’s County high school and some middle schools as part of new safety measures to reduce the rise in gun incidents reported on school campuses, the county’s new superintendent, Millard House II, said Tuesday.
House announced the new security initiatives as part of a session with media on a range of issues that also include student performance, bus safety and school staffing.
The new security initiatives come as the school system has experienced an increase in the number of guns being brought into schools, along with other safety incidents, including fights and bullying. Two students were found with guns at Suitland High School on the first day of school last August, and several others were reported throughout the school year. This week, a 17-year-old Prince George’s student was caught with a loaded gun at Central High School on the first day of in-person summer school. Police found the gun in the student’s waistband. The increases mirror a national trend of schools reporting more violence from students and guns being brought into buildings since reopening after pandemic lockdowns.
In response, more districts are requiring clear bags and installing weapons detectors. In the metro area, several Virginia schools have installed detectors, including those in the Alexandria and Prince William County school systems. They were installed in all Newport News schools after a teacher was shot by a 6-year-old student in January. A nationally representative survey conducted by the U.S. Education Department in November found that at least 12 percent of high schools use metal detectors to screen all or most students.
“Many of these firearms in our educational institutions is a byproduct of what we’re seeing in the community,” House said. “But you have to draw a line from … what some of the issues are in the community into our educational institutions.”
Some of the weapons brought to school are brought by students who have been bullied or want to protect themselves, House said. To help with the problem, school officials will be reaching out to families about bullying and providing mental health support to students.
His son, a sixth grader, will attend a Prince George’s middle school this year — and carry a clear backpack.
In addition to school safety, House is convening a work group focused on school bus safety. In May, a 15-year-old was charged in an alleged attempt to shoot another teenager on a school bus. A driver and a bus aide were also on the bus at the time.
Bus drivers have complained about safety issues on the school buses including buttons meant to alert police in emergencies that often malfunction. There are also more incidents of student fights and unruly behavior on the buses, they said.
House, who was formerly superintendent of Houston Independent School District, is one of Maryland’s top paid school leaders with a salary of $345,000, according to his contract that was approved by the school board in June. Few superintendents in the state are paid above $300,000. In Montgomery County, the state’s largest school district, the superintendent’s salary was $320,000 during the 2022-23 school year.
One of his early actions will be developing a 90-day plan outlining academic and operational goals, which he also completed during his early days in Houston.
House also said the school system is looking to hire 1,000 new teachers, 150 bus drivers and 60 nurses. Prince George’s schools employs about 10,000 teachers annually.
Also high on his list is improving academic performance. District assessments showed most Prince George’s students were testing below grade level in math and reading.