School system enhancing badge requirements for staff

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) has enhanced security and identification badge requirements for all staff, including substitute teachers, bus drivers and attendants, retirees and contractors. Any CCPS identification badge will now feature an annual sticker depicting the school year in which the badge is active. This is new for the 2018-19 school year.

Enhancements also include the creation of distinct identification badges for substitute teachers. Substitutes will receive an identification badge at the start of their workday, and return daily at the end of their teaching assignment. Substitute badges are blue and white and include the name of the issuing school or center.

Badges for CCPS bus drivers and attendants are issued by bus contractors and expire at the end of each school year. The badge includes the driver/attendant name, name of the contractor in which the driver or attendant are employed with, and their picture. The badge confirms employment as a CCPS bus driver or attendant and must be worn for school or center access.

CCPS issues badges to employees who retire from the school system. The badges include the name of the retiree and grants free access to CCPS sporting events and other school-sponsored events. Retiree badges are issued to former employees upon request and do not expire. Additionally, retiree badges may be used at local businesses who provide CCPS staff with discounts.

CCPS often employs food and nutrition service employees from Abacus, a company that provides contracted employees in specialized need areas, such as food services. All contractors with Abacus are issued a specialized badge that confirms authorization to work within a CCPS school or center. These badges include an expiration date for when the contracted service ends.

Additional information, including examples of each CCPS issued staff badge, is posted on the CCPS website at https://www.ccboe.com/myccps/. The staff badge enhancements are part of the school system’s strategic focus on enhancing school safety and security. “They ensure we know who is supposed to be in our buildings,” Jason Stoddard, director of safety and security for CCPS, said.

The Office of Safety and Security supplies all badges, including the annual school year stickers. CCPS is using funding from the Maryland Safe Schools and Security Grant issued by the Maryland Center for School Safety to support the enhancements to staff identification badges.