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“On the Job” is a series highlighting the roles of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools employees and how they serve our students and families.
Posted on 12.4.24
With 17 years in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Mark McHugh is known to many in the district as a principal, an assistant principal and from his other school-based roles. But this year, he chose to serve in a different capacity and became the district’s new director of safety last June.
McHugh is part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Police Department, reporting to Chief Melissa Mangum. He works with non-student services, safety-related initiatives and programs in the district to provide continuity between departments and to revisit some of the current planning and processes. He also assists with emergency management, as well as the Evolv scanners, which are used in all CMS middle and high schools.
“This position was attractive because it was an opportunity to see the district through a different lens,” he said. “I brought my school-based experience into this role to help navigate the best way to implement things, the best way to serve the schools and connect the dots in some places to make sure that what we’re asking schools to do is practical and consistent across the district.”
One of McHugh’s projects involves last year’s district safety assessment. The feedback received has led to more crisis training and drills for administrative and school-based staff to prepare them for different scenarios that may happen on campus.
McHugh said there are many areas that fall under the word “safety,” and that CMS has a great team that covers those areas. He said it’s important to recognize that there is not just one safety measure that will prevent incidents from happening; it is the layering of many measures that will keep our campuses as safe as they can be.
“We’re also trying to create avenues for both families, staff and students to be able to communicate with us and share their concerns and input around safety at schools because it’s obviously a community effort – it’s not just us,” he said. “That’s something that I’m looking forward to. I've found that when we give the opportunity, we’re getting really good feedback from people about safety.”
