A parent sat down in front of the Baltimore County school board last week, prepared to talk about how her daughter was stabbed in a Baltimore County high school in January 2023.

The board chair cut her off when she started naming students and describing violence, a violation of board policy. But the parent persisted, instead citing concerns about how many school shootings, like in Georgia, Nebraska and Harford County, have already occurred this school year.

“School safety needs to change,” she said before she stormed out of the meeting. “My daughter almost died. You can understand why I’m upset.”

Parents across Maryland have been calling for more safety measures, especially in Harford County after 15-year-old Warren Curtis Grant was fatally shot Sept. 6 at Joppatowne High School. Although shootings inside schools are a rare occurrence in Maryland, weapons, even guns, still find their way onto school grounds.

It’s not something school systems take lightly. They’ve been beefing up security and investing in mental health resources. A couple have taken it a step further by purchasing technology to detect weapons.

Here’s a look at how school districts in Central Maryland are addressing school safety:

How many guns have been found in schools?

Most Central Maryland school districts report that guns found on school grounds were in the single digits last year. Baltimore City reported the most last year, 20. Both the city and Baltimore County have found two guns already this school year.

Having a firearm at school can get a student expelled for at least one calendar year, according to school handbooks.

The consequences for students found with other weapons can range from suspensions to expulsions, giving discretion to school leaders.

There were hundreds of instances in which students were suspended or expelled for bringing weapons to campus during the 2022-2023 school year, the latest time state data are available.

What are the latest tools to detect guns in schools?

Baltimore County recently installed Omnilert in all schools. It’s an artificial intelligence software used on existing school cameras that searches image frames for people and the objects surrounding them. If a gun is detected, an alert is sent to the appropriate personnel, including police.

The district is also enhancing security at athletic events with a program called Open Gate. Like Omnilert, it uses technology to screen everyone who enters the school facility for weapons.

“This system allows for a smoother and faster entry process while maintaining the highest standards of safety,” a Sept. 5 news release stated.

Baltimore City also recently installed a weapons detection system. It’s called Evolv, and the district said in a statement that it’s “working as intended.”

Evolv was met with skepticism when it was discussed at a city school board meeting in 2022, but the AI system, set up like metal detectors that students must walk through, was in six high schools in May, reported WYPR. Now it’s in every high school.

Trial runs showed that of 17,000 alerts sent by Evolv, only 10 resulted in actual weapons, the station reported.

The school system’s website states that the tech uses “low frequency radio waves” to identify possible weapons on students, and it received strong support from schools that tested them. In a statement, the districts said Evolv helped identify some of the guns found last school year.

What other security measures are schools using?

School safety is fresh on the minds of the Harford County community, though decisions like installing metal detectors haven’t been made yet. It’s something community members have called for in the form of a petition that over 4,000 people have signed. Superintendent Sean Bulson said they’ve received many suggestions and offers of help, including from state leaders. Right now, the school system is still figuring out how to utilize that support to “heighten security.”

They did decide, however, to install lockers at Joppatowne High School where Warren Curtis Grant was shot and killed. Not everyone had a locker, and students could carry their book bags around the school. That will no longer be the case. Lockers are supposed to be installed by this week, and students must carry their books until then.

Some Baltimore schools have metal detectors, and the school district has its own police department. Howard County does not want to publicize its safety plans, a spokesperson said, but its website layouts protocols like locking exterior doors during the school day.

What kind of mental health support are students getting?

Good mental health is not the sole cure to gun violence, the National Alliance on Mental Illness reports. But the American School Counselor Association says a school with responsive counseling services is the “most positive protection” for students.

In the last five years, Anne Arundel County has added 92 positions focusing on social emotional wellness: 36 school counselors, 22.5 school psychologists, 27.5 social workers and six pupil personnel workers, said Bob Mosier, spokesperson for the school system.

Its student-to-counselor ratio now stands at 350 to 1, still much higher than the school counselor association recommends.

Schools can’t tackle that issue alone, Mosier said; the community must step up and help.

“While not dodging the responsibility of schools at all, the proliferation of guns in schools is a society issue that has landed itself on the doorsteps of schools,” he said. “Schools very clearly play a part ... but the single biggest factor on campus is to stop them from coming in the schools in the first place.”

Superintendent Mark Bedell found a way to get the community involved through the #BePresent initiative, launched in January 2023. It calls on parents, community members, business leaders and alumni to be inside school buildings to establish relationships with students and be another set of eyes for administrators.

There’s also the mentorship program Bedell launched in July 2023, a method the National Institutes of Health say can prevent youth violence. Anne Arundel provides students with an adult who can support them through academic achievement and social emotional learning. Family members, school staff, civic and faith groups and other members of the community can apply to participate. According to Mosier, 550 volunteers participate, and it’s continuing to grow.

Baltimore County Public Schools also invested in mental health programs with Talkspace. It’s a free teletherapy service high schoolers in the district have access to.

Baltimore Banner reporter Jess Nocera contributed to this article.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.