Around Maryland

The Talbot County Sheriff’s Office is preparing for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. Over the summer, school resource officer supervisor, Sgt. Kevin Parks, attended a weeklong seminar regarding school safety. The National School Safety Conference covered topics related to the latest innovations and best practices in securing our schools and universities. It is the largest and most comprehensive conference nationwide centered on best practices and proven methods.

Officials with Prince George’s County Public Schools say some data stolen in a ransomware attack earlier this month could be posted online — and the Maryland school system will now be offering credit monitoring and identity theft protection services. “We have worked diligently to restore our systems to operability as quickly as possible, and we are investigating the incident with outside cybersecurity and forensic specialists.

Television and movie lovers who cut the cable cord in favor of online streaming can take advantage of a free service offered by the Carroll County Public Library system. Hoopla, a popular digital extension of library content, is accessible from anywhere to anyone with a Carroll County Public Library card, Director of Communications Lisa Picker said. “It’s like a streaming service,” Picker said,” but better.”

If you’re curious about how your local school district is spending its money, you can download data from the “Contracted Out” database. But if you want to know exactly why school districts spend what they spend, you’re out of luck — that is, unless you’re interested in data from Baltimore County. Thanks to what appear to be two random acts of legislation that took place eight years apart, the General Assembly requires every public school district in the state to report every contract expenditure of more than $25,000, but only requires Baltimore County Public Schools to list a purpose for each payment.

Most Maryland students will return to school Monday morning, so 11 News asked Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Santelises about her agenda for 2023. Santelises said she spent the better part of the summer making investments in school safety. The district put more money into the paychecks of school police officers. They were often the first to leave for jobs outside of the school district.

The Rockville City Police Department (RCPD) will host a buyback event Saturday where gun owners can receive gift cards in exchange for functional firearms. RCPD, in partnership with the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office and Montgomery County Public Schools, will host the event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at RedGate Park at 14500 Avery Road in Rockville.

The number of students receiving free and reduced-price meals across Frederick County Public Schools is on track to rise again this year. Officials hope that confusion arising from the end of pandemic-era subsidies has passed. At the start of the last school year, FCPS leaders said they were bracing for logistical challenges because families had to apply to receive free meals for the first time since COVID-19 hit.

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office will soon use driving simulators to train recruits to navigate high-speed chases, emergency response calls and other real-world situations police encounter regularly. On Thursday, The Board of Carroll County Commissioners unanimously approved acceptance of a grant in the amount of $126,400 to purchase seven law enforcement driving simulators, including accessories and a four-year extended warranty.

A federal judge Thursday denied a request to let Montgomery County parents pull their children out of the classroom when books with LGBTQ characters are read aloud. Several Muslim and Christian families sued Montgomery County Public Schools in May, saying the use of LGBTQ storybooks forces religious parents to either forgo their beliefs or depart the public school system. They asked to allow their children to opt out of such readings before the school year begins Aug. 28, at least on a temporary basis while litigation over a permanent exemption proceeds.]