Local school creating comprehensive security plan to enhance safety for students

CAMBRIDGE, Md. – At Mace’s Lane Middle School, maintaining a safe environment for students and teachers is a top priority. And while the school already has safety measures put in place,officials are taking it up a notch. Working with security consultant group Kenjya-Trusant to create a new and improved comprehensive safety plan.

“We decided that as a school we wanted to make sure that our safety protocols and procedures were in place,” said principal Jymil Thompson.

For the past couple of weeks, consultants have been working closely with Mace’s Lane. Taking a closer look at just how safe the school really is, and they’re getting feedback from the people who matter most, the students.

“No ones really asked them how safe do you feel in school during an emergency situation,” said Superintendent of Dorchester County Public Schools, Dr. Diana Mitchell.

School officials tell us overall students said they did feel safe. And as they create this plan, they want every teacher to have the skills they need to react in any situation.

“I want everybody to have the tools to do a plethora of things whether they leave the building, whether, they go to assist students, or lock the doors and ensure the doors are locked,” said Thompson.

The school’s also getting input from the Cambridge Police Department and the Dorchester Sheriff’s Office as they create their safety plan. To make sure all proper protocols are in place.

“They’re our number one resource. We are right in town, they’re right down the street. If an emergency situation would occur they’re our first contact,” Mitchell said.

School officials add that they’ll take each and every recommendation made by the consultant group into careful consideration. To ensure they have the best security plan in place.

“We want to make sure that we’re being held accountable in that regard, that we are following the recommendations that this group has set out to give us,” said Thompson.

School officials also tell me that the consultant group will have the final results from their safety survey that these students took within the next couple of weeks.
And once they have them, the group will then conduct a mock emergency event to examine the school’s current response plan