surveillance cameras

School principals are in the middle of a balancing act when it comes to security. They need to create a welcoming, supportive open environment for students, parents, and credible community visitors who have legitimate purposes in their buildings, while they also have to keep out individuals who potentially have "ill intentions," says Kenneth Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services, a national consulting firm specializing in school security and emergency preparedness training, school security assessments and school and crisis counseling services.

This week, Baltimore County school officials started distributing hand-held metal detectors to school resource officers to help in the effort to keep weapons off campus. At the same time, Anne Arundel County made an app for students to submit tips about possible threats available on iTunes and Google Play. Parents who are worried about the rash of weapons incidents in area schools this year may be inclined to think Baltimore County is taking the more significant step, but research and recent experience suggest otherwise.

Police cars lined up along with school buses in front of Stemmers Run Middle School (Baltimore) on Wednesday morning, a day after an eighth-grader brought a loaded gun to the school. It was the second gun-related incident in Baltimore County schools in recent weeks

The decision to replace the entire staff of an elementary school here, where two former teachers stand accused of molesting students, sparked protests from some parents and students and applause from others.