Baltimore County education leaders are hoping to buck the national trend of increased violent threats against schools by boosting security and disciplinary responses.
Superintendent Myriam Rogers said in a press conference Wednesday with County Executive Johnny Olszewski that it’s too early to tell if the local district is seeing an uptick. But she revised the student code of conduct to ensure the highest disciplinary action for certain behaviors.
“These disturbing behaviors include threats of mass violence, possession of weapons, fighting and physical attacks, and recording or streaming disruptive and dangerous incidents,” Rogers said Wednesday. “Students who engage in these behaviors will be subject to all legally allowable consequences, including but not limited to suspension and expulsion.”
Rogers said many of the threats are electronic, through email or social media.
“We're finding that when you identify the student and you're having conversations with them, the first thing [they say] is, ‘I didn't mean it; I was just joking,’” she said. “But this is several hours later, several resources later, a lot of people are upset. So it's not an increase, it's just not acceptable in these days and times.”
On Sept. 6, a 16-year-old student at Joppatowne High School in nearby Harford County shot and killed his 15-year-old peer. Olszewski said he visited education leaders there recently.
“It was a reminder that we need to be ever-vigilant about supporting our staff members and parents and families and students as we think about keeping our schools safe, so they can be the vibrant learning communities that we know that they are here,” Olszewski said Wednesday.
This year, the county district is using new portable weapons scanners at school events, in addition to the Omnilert detection system operating at all high schools as of last spring. And all county school buses are equipped with external cameras to catch drivers who illegally pass when students are boarding or exiting.
Olszewski said county police have issued over 3,400 warnings since the stop-arm cameras began operating on the first day of class. Starting tomorrow, drivers caught on camera will be fined $250 for each violation.
Rogers said the district is “simultaneously addressing the social-emotional needs” of students through continued access to all-day virtual therapy through Talkspace, a partnership launched last fall.
She also urged parents to keep an eye on their children, and monitor their phone and backpack.
“If something does not seem right, don't simply say okay because you hear a reasonable explanation,” she said. “Connect with the school. We have SROs, we have student safety assistants, we have administrators, we have counselors. They are there to help families, but we can only do that work if we're really partnering with each other and keeping the lines of communication open.”
County education leaders will start hosting solutions-oriented safety conversations for the public beginning tomorrow at Catonsville High School.
