For a number of years, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office has provided School Resource Officers at the three public high schools and in 2019 officers were added to the four public middle schools in St. Mary’s County.
In addition, the Sheriff’s Office’s Adopt-a-School program provides for deputies to “adopt” a particular elementary school to patrol and partner with.
In addition to those ongoing partnerships with St. Mary’s County Public Schools, effective immediately, more Sheriff’s Office deputies will be further checking on public elementary schools and private schools through the Safe to Learn initiative.
These additional deputies will be uniformed, checking in with school staff, checking the perimeters of school properties, ensuring that exterior doors to schools are secured and reporting anything unusual to school administrators.
“The safety of students and children in St. Mary’s County continues to be my priority,” Sheriff Tim Cameron said. “I want both students and their parents to know that we are working together to make the school communities a safe and secure environment through the efforts of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office and St. Mary’s County Public Schools,” the Sheriff said.
The school year is winding down as classes conclude in June.
“We continue to coordinate efforts with the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office for increased patrols at our schools and to maintain open lines of communication to address any issues that impact the safety of our school communities,” a May 25 letter from Schools Superintendent J. Scott Smith said. “One of the most important things we can do is to share information.” Through the If You See Something, Say Something initiative, information can be shared at www.smcps.org.
The Sheriff’s Office can be contacted at 301-475-8008. For emergencies, call 911.
