Members of the Youth Safety Task Force are pleased to report on the progress made to date following four meetings on supporting youth safety in schools and the community. Unprecedented levels of collaboration and cooperation among 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 have led to multiple specific strategies that will serve to positively impact the safety of our youth.
Our four agencies are working together through the task force to identify and address systemic issues involving youth in our community. Our aim with this collaboration 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. We are working together to teach, to redirect, and to intervene when youth safety issues arise. The vast majority of youth are already doing the right things, and we are supporting and protecting them while addressing safety concerns involving only a small percentage of our youth.
As soon as the task force formed in the fall, the four agencies studied each agency’s role and processes to learn more about each agency’s mission and rules in working with youth. That allows the agencies to better understand the role of each agency, and how it can best work with other agencies serving youth in our community.
There has been considerable progress already, with even more to come. Task Force discussions have so far led to:
• Additional training for School Resource Officers (SROs) with a specific focus on investigative techniques unique to school-related incidents.
• Increased presence of the Department of Juvenile Services in schools for proactive prevention and intervention with youth safety concerns.
• Ongoing training and communication with school administrators on school safety-related matters including structural changes to support positive school climate, intervention supports for identified students, effective administration of the Maryland Guidelines for Student Discipline, understanding the proactive and preventative nature of the increased presence of the Department of Juvenile Services in schools, and working with law enforcement on effective investigative techniques unique to school-related incidents.
• The planned designation of a detective within the Criminal Investigation Division of the Sheriff’s Office as liaison for school-based investigations, enabling SROs to continue to serve in a proactive capacity in schools.
• Recognition of the need for greater parent engagement, accountability and collaboration with agencies in dealing with youth-related matters.
• A newly appointed juvenile prosecutor in the Office of the State’s Attorney with unique experience and expertise in working with youth, to serve as the direct point of contact for SROs as they deal with students, parents and school staff on school safety incidents.
• Full-time hall patrol positions added in secondary schools, providing a greater adult presence to ensure students are in class when they should be and are fully supervised when in the hallways.
• Reinforcement by school staff of appropriate and allowable use of cell phones in school, where they may enhance instruction in the classroom, and responsible use of social media.
• Greater network of student support in our schools through additional social workers, school psychologists and guidance counselors.
• Exploration of effective education options for 18-year-old students not thriving in the traditional high school setting, to keep them on track to complete their studies and earn a diploma.
• Expanded availability of alternative education pathways for high school students both inside and outside the school system, to prepare youth for college and career.
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 scope of the task force is narrowly tailored to address those issues which create systemic problems that can only be remedied through the coordinated and collaborative efforts of its members. Through this forum, members will institute problem-solving solutions quickly, effectively and with the ultimate goal of protecting the safety, rights and academic experience of the entire student body and youth of Wicomico County.
We will periodically update the community on the progress of the Task Force. 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.
