Montgomery County Public Schools

The implementation of sophisticated safety and security procedures in the Montgomery County Public Schools was featured last night [Tuesday, April 22] on a national broadcast of “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” on PBS in a report entitled “Safety Lesson: A look at how school security has changed in an age of terror warnings.”

The seven-minute segment focused on systemwide security procedures, including the school system's concentration on mental health support. It featured an interview with Dr. Jerry D. Weast, superintendent of schools, and described the safety procedures and concerns at the local school level during a Code Blue drill among staff and students at Sherwood High School and a cluster meeting with parents in the Sherwood community.

The recognition of Montgomery County was based on the school system's unique experiences and the expertise developed in response to the terrorist violence on September 11, 2001, the anthrax incidents later that same year, and the 22 consecutive days of dealing with the nation's longest domestic terrorism incident with the sniper attacks in October 2002.

The “NewsHour” program, which also featured school security procedures in Glendale, Arizona, can be viewed online at the link below.


Note: School system videos on Code Blue and Code Red are available for purchase at the second link below.