Yesterday was one of the most frightening days I have experienced in my life.

My son was inside Wootton High School during the school shooting lockdown. Like so many parents, I was trying to understand what was happening while students were barricaded in classrooms and families waited outside for information.

I was very fortunate to be able to communicate with my son by text during the lockdown. At one point, he and other students in the barricaded room did not fully understand what was happening and thought it might be a drill. I was able to tell him that the situation was real and that they needed to take it seriously and secure the classroom immediately. I cannot overstate how important that communication was to me as a parent.

Since yesterday afternoon, I have spoken with several news organizations about what our family and the Wootton community experienced, including NBC4 Washington, WTOP, DC New Now, and The Baltimore Banner. I have tried to convey both the fear parents and students experienced and my gratitude for everyone who responded so quickly to protect our students. I also explained that there are many more victims to this incident as every student in that school and every parent restling with fear has been affected by this horrible incident.

I especially want to thank the Rockville City Police Department, Montgomery County Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and MCPS security personnel who responded to Wootton yesterday. Their rapid response, coordination, and presence throughout an extraordinarily difficult situation were deeply appreciated by our school community. I am also grateful to Wootton’s teachers, administrators, and staff for everything they did to keep students safe during the lockdown.

This morning, I also called publicly for Montgomery County to bring School Resource Officers back into our schools. While I strongly disagreed with the County's decision to remove them years ago, I am even more adamant that they be brought back now. When seconds matter, having a trained law-enforcement officer already inside a school can make a difference. Just as importantly, I believe a dedicated officer who develops relationships with students can become someone they trust enough to approach when they hear about a weapon, a threat, or another serious safety concern. RCPD's Community Engagement Officers are a perfect example of the wonderful relationship which can occur between students and law enforcement.

This afternoon, I reiterated that position regarding school safety and the return of School Resource Officers during my testimony before the Montgomery County Council.. We owe it to our children, educators, and families to examine every reasonable step that could possibly prevent another incident or improve the response when an emergency occurs.

Most importantly, my thoughts remain with the student who was injured, the student’s family, and every student and staff member who experienced yesterday’s violence firsthand. Our community has been shaken, and there will be difficult conversations ahead. I hope we can approach them with urgency, compassion, and a shared commitment to keeping every student safe.