On Fire Broadcasting

Join us for full coverage of the Open Enrollment Event held in Baltimore, Maryland at Port Discovery , presented by HealthCare Access Maryland (HCAM). This community event helped Baltimore residents get informed, get connected, and get covered through Maryland Health Connection.

The program featured impactful remarks from:

🔹 Courtney Tipper – Chief Operating Officer, Baltimore City Health Department
🔹 Traci Kodeck – Chief Executive Officer, HealthCare Access Maryland

They discussed the importance of accessible health coverage, community support, and HCAM’s ongoing mission to help residents enroll in affordable, quality health insurance.

Baltimore’s fight to protect its students and educators took a major step forward this week as City Council President Zeke Cohen and the Baltimore Teachers Union renewed their call for intruder-resistant locks in every Baltimore City classroom. The push comes during a nationwide rise in school shootings and a growing urgency for real, structural safety measures inside public schools.

For years, Baltimore City Public Schools has been one of the few large school districts in America without consistent, inside-locking classroom doors. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, over 75% of U.S. public schools already had interior-locking classrooms during the 2021–2022 school year. Baltimore remains behind.

A Partial Plan Moves Forward

Earlier this year, City Schools announced plans to install upgraded locks in select high schools, using federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. However, when federal funding cuts were projected, the project stalled.

Now, with funds restored, City Schools is officially moving forward with Phase I of its Security Hardware Initiative — covering 18 high schools across 14 buildings. This first phase includes new locks, upgraded door frames, and improved security hardware.

Council President Zeke Cohen and BTU President Diamonté Brown praised the move, crediting CEO Dr. Sonja Santelises for prioritizing student safety even in the face of financial challenges. But both leaders stressed the same point: This can’t stop at Phase I. Baltimore needs locks in every classroom — not just high schools.

What Baltimore Leaders Are Saying
Council President Zeke Cohen:

“Every child and every educator in Baltimore deserves a safe, secure learning environment… Every young person and every educator in Baltimore deserves a classroom door that can lock from the inside. We must extend these protections to all schools, without delay.”

Cohen’s perspective hits home — not only as an elected official, but as a father of two public school students and a former classroom teacher. His message is clear: the technology already exists, other districts already use it, and Baltimore students deserve the same level of protection.

BTU President Diamonté Brown:

“Our goal is to ensure that all schools have classroom doors that lock from the inside. We will continue to fight for the safety of our students and staff.”

The Baltimore Teachers Union has been raising this issue for years, organizing educators and pushing district leadership to take action.

Phase I Schools Receiving Upgrades

Academy for College and Career Exploration

Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts

Bard High School Early College

ConneXions: A Community-Based Arts School

National Academy Foundation

Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy

Benjamin Franklin High School

Edmondson-Westside High School

Northwestern Building

Reginald F. Lewis; Success Academy; Achievement Academy

Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School

Excel Academy

Lawrence E. Dunbar High School

Baltimore School for the Arts

Digital Harbor High School

Carver Vocational-Technical High School

Why This Matters

Students and teachers shouldn’t have to rely on makeshift solutions during an emergency. A locked classroom door is one of the most proven tools for slowing or stopping an intruder. That’s why districts across the country have moved quickly to standardize interior-locking door mechanisms.

Baltimore should be no different.

Phase I is a strong beginning — but it’s only a beginning. With restored funding, strong leadership, and continued advocacy from teachers, parents, and city officials, there is a real opportunity to bring Baltimore’s classrooms up to modern safety standards.

This is about more than hardware.
It’s about peace of mind.
It’s about urgency.
And it’s about protecting our kids.

Trump is doubling down during the shutdown. He’s meeting with Russell Vought — the architect of Project 2025 — to plan cuts to what he calls “Democrat agencies.”
This move signals a push to reshape the federal government, despite Trump’s past attempts to distance himself from Project 2025.

Do you think these cuts will stick or spark even more political fights? 👀🔥