OCEAN PINES – School system officials in Worcester County are urging parents to be vigilant as they take their children to bus stops following suspicious activity in Ocean Pines.
Late last week parents of students in Berlin Intermediate School and Showell Elementary School received a letter from Superintendent Lou Taylor advising them of suspicious activity that had occurred near a number of bus stops in Ocean Pines. Taylor offered safety reminders and asked parents to report anything concerning to the Ocean Pines Police Department (OPPD).
“In an effort to be proactive, students at affected schools were sent home with a letter encouraging parents to partner with us in an effort to reinforce general student safety practices,” said Carrie Sterrs, coordinator of public relations and special programs for Worcester County Public Schools. “Additionally, in partnership with the OPPD, we asked parents and students to be alert and report any suspicious activity to the OPPD.”
According to Chief David Massey of the OPPD, police were contacted last week after parents saw a suspicious vehicle.
“What we had was a car rode by with a couple individuals wearing masks,” he said. “They harassed some kids at a bus stop.”
Massey said he received multiple reports from parents who’d seen the same thing the same day.
“Unfortunately in this case they waited two hours to call us,” he said.
Massey pointed out that the horror movie “It” was currently in theaters.
“Our hope is that it’s kids just playing around,” he said.
Nevertheless officers are taking the incidents seriously.
“We’ve got heightened vigilance,” he said. “We’ve stepped up our patrols.”
He said he’d received no reports of similar incidents since that first day. He encourages anyone who witnesses suspicious behavior to contact the police immediately.
Taylor shared the same message in his letter to parents. He also asked them to remind their children of safety practices such as using the buddy system, staying away from strangers and advising adults of any concerns.
“Our staff, bus contractors and local authorities have been made aware and will continue to be vigilant in their supervision practices,” Taylor wrote. “School staff will give a reminder of safety procedures with students, but we would like you as parents to join us in this effort to ensure our students are well versed in student safety practices.”
