FRUITLAND, Md. - Tensions are rising in Wicomico County following a series of violent incidents at Bennett Middle School. The latest happened last Friday, involved a 14-year-old girl allegedly assaulting a fellow student with a pair of scissors. This student now faces assault and other charges.
Just last month, a 13-year-old was accused of assaulting two teachers and a student, and a separate incident involved a 12-year-old allegedly assaulting a staff member.
Anna Austin, a parent of a student at the school, expressed her growing anxiety. "The violence seems to be escalating, it’s happening more frequently. We're only in November, so of course, there are concerns," Austin said.
The situation has caught the attention of the Wicomico County Education Association, with its president, Joan Smith, calling for immediate action. "It seems to be increasing in intensity, and we need to get the community together to take some action," Smith stated.
In response to the growing school safety concerns, Wicomico County Public Schools provided WBOC with the following statement.
"Providing a safe and secure learning environment for all students and staff is a daily priority for Wicomico County Public Schools and the Wicomico County Board of Education. We take any school safety incident or issue that detracts from the orderly conduct of the school day very seriously. In fact, the Board of Education has made school safety its highest priority, and works closely with the Superintendent of Schools to ensure that this area receives resources, attention and frequent evaluation to ensure that Wicomico County Public Schools is a safe place to learn and work.
The school system’s budget supports school safety. In recent years funding has been allocated to ensure that each school has at least one school counselor (and some have several) and social worker, and to expand the number of pupil personnel workers, campus patrol employees and school resource officers. School-based staff members are supported by school psychologists, Safe Schools and others at the Central Office.
The safety of staff and students in our schools is always paramount. All students and staff are entitled to a safe learning environment. No individual or group of individuals has the right to create unsafe conditions for others. The Board of Education, the Superintendent of Schools and school system staff revised the Code of Conduct prior to this school year, and the Board and Superintendent will continue to focus on student discipline, school climate and safety in its meetings.
However, even with all of the resources in place and the planning and training for our staff, it is not possible to entirely eliminate the human element, i.e. how a student behaves in a given situation. When problems occur, they are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Our staff members in schools and Safe Schools respond immediately to any school safety concerns, collaborating as needed with law enforcement and other community agencies to ensure that any situation is addressed effectively with the safety of all students and staff uppermost in mind. Disciplinary measures provided for in Student Code of Conduct may be applied to the fullest extent possible.
We join parents and guardians and our community in wanting to have schools be safe, orderly places for students to learn and for staff to work each day. That’s what all of us expect and deserve."
Austin believes that more needs to be done, particularly in revising discipline procedures for students at risk of violent or emotional behavior. "I don't doubt that they're trying, but the current policies and procedures are not working. More could be done to support safety," she remarked.
Wicomico County Public Schools maintains a relationship with the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office, allowing for the presence of School Resource Officers in many schools, including Bennett Middle School.
The Wicomico County Board of Education has a regularly scheduled public meeting for Tuesday at 7 PM. The meeting is expected to draw a significant number of parents and community members. To pre-register for public comment you can click here.
