BALTIMORE – Dr. Myriam Rogers, superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools, says the district is making progress in safety, test scores and absenteeism rates.

However, she said there was still a lot to be done.

One month after the start of school, Rogers and her team are implementing their plan to improve the quality of education for students in Baltimore County.

“We are delighted with the challenging teaching in all subject areas from the first day of school, the highly engaged students and the enthusiastic leaders in all schools and offices,” said Rogers.

Safety in schools

This school year, shootings, threats and fights at schools are on the rise, including one in neighboring Harford County in Joppatowne Baltimore County High School Chief Administrative Officer Johnny Olszewski has invested over $800 million to help Baltimore County Public Schools invest in better safety infrastructure, more school resource officers and resources to support student mental health.

“My deepest sympathies continue to go out to all those affected by the shooting at Joppatowne High School, but it was also a reminder that we must always be vigilant in supporting our staff, parents, families and students,” Olszewski said.

Rogers invited the community to what she called a solutions-focused conversation about school safety on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Catonsville High School.

“We use 24/7 alert technology for our schools,” Rogers said. “That's the AI ​​that's installed on every single one of our cameras inside and outside the school buildings, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”

Tests and improvements in absence

Baltimore County Public Schools have made the greatest progress in the state in reducing chronic absenteeism and increasing student attendance.

Rogers said the new MCAP test data results showed a significant improvement.

“For the first time in over a decade, BCPS students made progress on 13 of 16 state assessment data points in English and math,” Rogers said.

Bus camera security program

Baltimore County Schools officials said more than 3,400 tickets have been issued to drivers for failing to stop for school buses since August 26, an average of 160 drivers per day.

If drivers are caught failing to stop for school buses after the warning period expires on Thursday, they will be fined $250.