Important Discussion at Home About Safety

Dear Families,

Thank you for a great start to the school year and a successful first marking period. I apologize if this message seems out of the blue; however, the start of a new marking period is the perfect time to pause, reflect and recenter critical expectations around academics and safety at school. Today, I am writing to ask for your help with something very important.

As we continue working together to keep our school community safe, I want to address a critical topic that directly impacts the safety of our schools and our broader community: firearm safety, secure storage and open communication at home.

The urgency of keeping firearms out of the hands of young people has never been clearer.  Unfortunately, we have seen it firsthand in our community, most recently during serious incidents at Thomas S. Wootton and James Hubert Blake high schools last school year. Nationally, firearm-related injuries and deaths remain a leading cause of death for children and teens (ages 1–19). This is not just a national statistic; it is a reality right here in Montgomery County.

School safety is a shared responsibility and it depends on the active partnership of our entire community. Taking proactive steps at home is one of the most effective ways to prevent violence and accidental harm. I need your help with this by reinforcing expectations at home.

Here’s where I could really use your help; these are three things that could genuinely save a life:

#1 - Preventing gun violence takes all of us. Please have a candid and serious conversation with your children about firearms and explicitly ask them about their access to firearms and weapons. Set clear expectations in your family and reinforce that firearms and weapons are prohibited at school. As mentioned earlier this year, encourage your child to “See Something, Say Something” — contact a trusted adult if they see something that doesn’t seem right or use available mental health and crisis-support resources if they need support. Violence is never the answer. 

#2 - Research shows that storing firearms and ammunition separately, locked and unloaded reduces the risk of unintentional firearm injuries by 85% and self-inflicted gun injuries by 78%.  Proper and safe storage also reduces the probability of firearms showing up on school campuses.

I strongly encourage every family to adopt these essential safety practices if you have a firearm in your home:

• Practice Safe Storage: If there are firearms in your home, or in any home your child visits, please make sure they are unloaded, locked and stored separately from ammunition. Using gun safes, lockboxes or cable/trigger locks is one of the simplest and most effective things adults can do to prevent tragedy.
• Set Clear School Expectations: Remind your child that weapons of any kind, including lookalike firearms, knives, pepper spray and other prohibited items do not belong in our schools.
• Talk to Your Kids About Gun Safety: Have clear, age-appropriate conversations with your children about what to do if they ever see a gun (Stop, Don't Touch, Run Away, Tell a Grown-Up). Remind older students to immediately report any mention or sight of a weapon at school or online to a trusted adult or school administrator.
• Ask About Firearms in Other Homes: Before your child visits a friend's house, don't hesitate to ask if firearms are present and stored securely.

#3 - To help reduce the availability of unwanted firearms in our community, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, in partnership with local law enforcement, is hosting a Gun Buyback Event this weekend.

• Date & Time: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Location: RedGate Park, 14500 Avery Road, Rockville.
• Details: Community members can turn in unwanted firearms, no questions asked, in exchange for gift cards. All firearms brought to the event must be unloaded and transported in the trunk of your vehicle.

Participating in gun buyback programs is a practical, direct way to remove unused or unwanted weapons from households where they could otherwise pose a risk.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message and engage with your child at home about this important topic. Your ongoing commitment to protecting our children and keeping our schools safe, supportive environments for everyone matters. Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Thomas W. Taylor, Ed.D., M.B.A.

Superintendent of Schools

Additional Resources and Education Materials

• Maryland Center for School Safety: A Parent’s Guide to Firearm Storage
• U.S. Department of Education: Safe Firearm Storage Fact Sheet
• Project ChildSafe: Securing Your Firearm and Explaining Gun Safety to Kids
• Everytown for Gun Safety: Be SMART Secure Storage Guide
• Sandy Hook Promise: Secure Storage of Lethal Means: Keeping Families Safe
• Montgomery County Police Department: Gun Lock Distribution & Safety Programs