Maryland Focusing More On School Security With Safety Center

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland has been focusing more on school security in recent years as disruptions increase nationwide due to bomb threats and other concerns.

In 2013, Maryland lawmakers formed the Maryland Center for School Safety. It works with local school systems, law enforcement agencies, state and local government and community organizations to provide a coordinated approach to school safety.

National School Safety and Security Services, an Ohio-based consulting firm, said it has studied more than 800 threats around the country in the first half of the previous academic year, up from 315 in a similar span a year earlier. Maryland had 12 incidents during that period; Ohio led all states with 64.

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