Skip to main content

Taking a Stand for Safe Schools


The way that HCPSS handles bullying and sexual assault is abysmal. Just ask Christine McComas. Victims are often ignored or scapegoated. Since 2012 it appears that the preferred method in Howard County is deeming accusations to be false.
 
Hmm...
I've been doing a lot of listening to parents of students who have been victimized twice, first by perpetrators, then by the school system. The pattern in these cases is horrifyingly consistent: for the bullies/assailants, we make excuses. For the victims, we make trouble. As we already know from the case of Glenelg High School student Grace McComas, suppression of the truth and a lack of support for victims is a matter of life and death.

The fact the Grace's mother still hasn't been able to get complete school records despite multiple requests in writing, through a lawyer, and in public forums, suggests that the school system doesn't want the record of how school personnel handled her case to be more widely known.

But this is not just a story about Grace.

Bullying, sexual harassment, and sexual assault continue in our schools.The response from the school system to inquiries from concerned parents is: no response. We can't wait any longer to step up and be a voice for victims and take action for their safety. I invite you to participate in this forum (brought about by grassroots activism) and RSVP to the email address given above.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the number of causes that parents and community members are fielding that pertain to our schools is staggering. It's difficult to comprehend how much needs to be done. It's overwhelming. It would be easier to look away.

This one is life or death.

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

Columbia Chance Connection

  Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!”  We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...
Post a Comment
Read more