SALISBURY – A report on the progress of a Youth Safety Task Force last week highlighted ongoing efforts to address student safety.
Last week, members of the Youth Safety Task Force issued a report on the progress made to support youth safety in schools and in the community.
“The Youth Safety Task Force aims to maintain and grow public confidence through the collaboration of top policy and decision makers in agencies that are among those most responsible for our students and youth,” the report reads. “The scope of the task force is narrowly tailored to address those issues which create systematic problems that can only be remedied through the coordinated and collaborative efforts of its members.”
In November, the leaders of Wicomico County Public Schools, the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Juvenile Services and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Wicomico County formed a task force to improve school climate and student conduct after an uptick in violent incidents early in the school year.
Beginning in October, for example, school system officials witnessed several student altercations at Salisbury Middle School. That same month, a 13-year-old student was charged with threat of mass violence for her involvement in a bomb threat at James M. Bennett High School. And in November, three teachers at Parkside High School sustained minor injuries following a fight between students.
The goal of the task force is to quickly and effectively implement solutions to protect the safety and rights of every child, support academic integrity, and build a strong and vital future for all of Wicomico County, according to a press release issued in November.
Superintendent Donna Hanlin told county officials last month discipline issues among youth within the school system represented between 1% and 2% of the student population. But she said officials were taking proactive steps to address student conduct.
According to the report issued last week, Task Force discussions over the course of four meetings have led to additional training for school resource officers, ongoing training and communication with school administrators on safety-related matters, full-time hall patrol positions in secondary schools and an increased presence of the Department of Juvenile Services in schools, among other things.
The sheriff’s office has also designated a liaison within the department’s Criminal Investigation Division for school-based investigations, and a newly appointed juvenile prosecutor in the state’s attorney’s office will serve as a direct point of contact for student resource officers.
“We will periodically update the community on the progress of the Task Force,” the report reads. “We understand the community’s concern for its youth, and its desire to know more about how individual safety incidents are handled. Please understand, however, that there are state and federal limitations on sharing information about minors, as well as limitations about what can immediately be shared when an investigation is ongoing. In cases where a juvenile’s case is waived to adult court, however, it may become possible to provide more information to the public.”