Mcps Shares Update On Wootton High School Safety Following Monday’s Shooting

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Thomas W. Taylor shared a letter with the Wootton High School community addressing safety concerns following this week’s shooting that occurred on Monday. The message outlines immediate security measures, longer-term safety strategies, and emphasizes the importance of trust, communication, and community partnership moving forward.

In the letter, Taylor thanks students, staff, families, first responders, and mental health professionals for their response and resilience, while acknowledging the frustration caused by unanswered questions. He details short-term actions such as increased security staffing, daily police presence, camera and door-lock upgrades, and expanded mental health support. Longer-term, the letter focuses on school culture, trusted adult relationships, reporting concerns, and the ongoing evaluation of weapons detection systems. Taylor closes by reaffirming MCPS’s commitment to reducing risk, strengthening trust, and prioritizing safety at Wootton High School.

The full letter can be seen below:

“Dear Wootton High School Students, Staff and Families,

Over the past two days, I have met with students, staff, families, and community members at Thomas S. Wootton High School. I have listened carefully to what you believe is working, what needs to change immediately, and what we must consider for the future. You have asked very directly, “What are you doing to make Wootton High School a safer place?”

I will address that in this letter, but I need to begin with gratitude and appreciation.

Thank you for the thoughtful feedback and suggestions. And thank you for grace as we navigated the challenges associated with a crisis in the moment and piecing together information after the fact to better support you.

Simply put, the teachers and staff at Wootton High School are heroic. I asked impossible things from the staff and they delivered. In hindsight, there are certainly things that we would do differently with schedules on Tuesday, but it needs to be said that the team at Wootton represents the best of MCPS. Additionally, I am grateful to the almost 100 mental health support professionals who have been on site at Wootton this week. And I am grateful for the partnership of the Rockville City Police Department, the Montgomery County Department of Police, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and emergency responders who acted quickly and professionally on Monday and since. Their support and the continued presence of Rockville City Police are, in many ways, the most outwardly visible measure we have for safety in our community.

Though it was short notice, I also want to thank our parents who came out yesterday afternoon and evening to get an update from the Rockville Police Department and our Psychological Services team about how to talk to your children about the trauma they experienced. At these meetings, we also invited parents to submit questions to: AskMCPS@mcpsmd.org – we are compiling answers to shared questions and the resources that were provided yesterday and will be sending these back to you in a separate letter later this week. We will also follow up with additional meetings in the coming weeks and months. I want to acknowledge that yesterday’s meetings might have felt unfulfilling to many because there are so many unanswered and unanswerable questions – there is still a lot we don’t know about what happened. We will share what we learn as we learn it.

Safety improvements should be a continuous effort of both short and long term solutions. Below are some immediate actions we are taking to make Wootton High School safer as well as some long term efforts that are also underway.

Short Term/Immediate

So, in direct response to this week’s events and feedback from the Wootton community, we are:

• Increasing on-site security staffing from the usual 6 MCPS security staff to 10 security staff.

• Maintaining daily police presence at Wootton for the foreseeable future.

• Upgrading camera coverage, including addressing identified blind spots. Though this work was already planned for later in the year and came about as a result of a safety audit conducted last summer, this work started yesterday evening.

• Improving electronic door-locking systems, again in key areas identified in our safety audit.

• Ensuring students receive emergency alert messages during an incident, the same messages that we send to families and staff.

We also will be:

• Reinforcing expectations regarding secured entry and not propping doors.

• Reviewing lockdown protocols with all secondary schools.

• Ensuring expanded mental health supports remain available, always to anyone who seeks them from MCPS staff.

Longer Term

I am often asked about the most effective means of creating and sustaining school safety. The reality is that there is no one strategy that is 100% effective. Having a portfolio of strategies that includes planning, policy, relationships with law enforcement, practiced emergency procedures, surveillance, and a positive school culture are critical – and this is what we strive for. Out of the many to choose from, the most effective strategies might surprise you.

Though no safety or security measure is 100% effective, there is a strong and growing body of research that concludes that the safest schools are those where students feel connected to adults they can trust and where everyone understands that safety is a shared responsibility. Planning and positive relationships remain our strongest preventive measure.

This morning, Dr. Bostic and I met with student government leaders, where relationships and having trusted adults at school was a recurring theme (among many themes). Students told us they feel safest in spaces where there is a sense of belonging. When students have an adult they trust at school, they speak up. When they see something concerning, they say something — and that information allows adults to act before a situation escalates. Our Wootton student leaders did a great job of representing their school and gave great suggestions and ideas. I know that Dr. Bostic will be expanding this conversation to other students as well to hear more perspectives.

It isn’t flashy or logistically challenging or even expensive, but it is supremely effective – if you “See something, say something”. This is more than a slogan; it can be a life-saving practice. Reporting concerns, even when uncertain, can make a difference and prevent violence. Noticing a classmate who seems withdrawn, hearing something troubling, or observing behavior that doesn’t sit right should be shared with a trusted adult. This enables prevention. This approach requires a school culture that prioritizes safety, shared responsibility, and trust between the students and adults. This trust can’t be built overnight and will take time.

Many of our students echoed concerns about reporting information and social implications. If necessary, concerns can be reported anonymously through the Safe Schools Maryland tip line by calling or texting 1-833-MD-B-SAFE (1-833-632-7233), or through the website or app at safeschoolsmd.org. Though the fastest and most effective way to report concerns is through trusted adults at the school, this tip line is also an effective means to share critical information that can help keep all of our schools safe.

You may have also heard on the news that MCPS is looking at various forms of weapons detection systems. This is true. We have been investigating this technology since I started as Superintendent in July 2024. We are testing some technologies this Spring at a few schools, and talking with several other school districts that already have weapons detection systems. We are learning a lot (but there is still a lot more to discover). For example, we have learned that there are pros and cons to just about every system–these are not simple decisions and not one single approach solves all safety questions. For instance, bag searches and personal searches upon entry can be effective but require consent, extensive staffing, and are time consuming. Similarly, metal detection technologies also require extensive infrastructure and personnel. They can be effective at identifying when metal is present–unfortunately both weapon metal and non-weapon metal, and do not identify non-metal weapons (like some ghost guns). We will keep reviewing possible tools to add to our safety toolbox, and keep you updated about what we learn. This doesn’t mean that these solutions are off the table – it does mean that there needs to be a thorough review with a lot of community engagement before we make a commitment.

I sincerely wish that I could guarantee perfect safety and eliminate all risks of harm. We cannot eliminate all risk; however, we can reduce risk and build environments where students trust adults enough to speak up early. We can expand our portfolio of safety and security enhancements and we can keep safety as the priority at Wootton.

Thank you to the Wootton community; we are listening and we are committed to building an even stronger system because of what we have learned.

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

Superintendent of Schools

Montgomery County Public Schools”