With students returning to school next week throughout Worcester County, parents need to be aware of a tougher approach to discipline by law enforcement.
During the school year, it’s common in most school systems to hear of serious and concerning behaviors by students. Worcester County is no different, and there are serious incidents that occur occasionally, including assaults and drug use and distribution. For the most part, the local school system does not see the severity of incidents experienced elsewhere, but it’s clear there has been an uptick in general safety concerns since the pandemic.
The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and the Board of Education have recently updated a Memorandum of Understanding offering school resource deputies more specific rules when dealing with serious issues based on the age of the students as well as whether the incidents in question require custodial arrests or referrals to the juvenile justice system.
“Our philosophy is if minors know they’re going to leave school in handcuffs if they engage in violent or illegal behavior hopefully it’ll deter those types of behaviors,” said Sheriff Matt Crisafulli. “If there is a custodial arrest that happens once or twice, our youth will see that and it’ll deter that type of behavior. If they do act egregiously and with felonious behavior, there will be criminal consequences.”
Along with this shift in consequences, a new App through Worcester County Sheriff’s Office enables the school community to provide anonymous tips when concerns surface or behaviors witnessed.
An important part of the school resource program is educating young minds about police work. All too often there is an us vs. them mentality passed down from older generations to young people. Having these sworn officers in the school and engaging with students each day can help alter any preconceived notions some wayward folks may have of police officers generally as well as their intentions.
Leading up to schools reopening, the county sheriff’s office has been working social media to inform parents about the toughened stance and new direction. These changes have been largely supported, but it’s fair for some skeptics to be unsure of the policy’s implementation and successful enforcement. Time will tell the story.
These are words in an agreement currently. Actions are more important. The sheriff is right to deliver a message of no acceptance for illegal actions within schools. The words will be received loud and clear when an offense is met with a student walking out of school in handcuffs. In many cases, the visual will be impactful and confirm the threatening words within the new policy.
