DUNDALK, Md. — Baltimore County parents held a protest in Dundalk over concerns about violence in county schools.
The protest was in response to fights last month at Dundalk Middle and High School.
Both fights, one of them involving a 13-year-old girl, were posted to social media.
“It’s supposed to be a safe place where our children can learn, not place where they have to have fear going to school,” said one mother, who is parent of a Kenwood High School student.
The parent, who did not want us to use her name, said her daughter has been bullied and was attacked earlier this year.
“They keep telling us to report report report, but after we report what is done what is the solution after we have done the school protocol,” she said.
Some parents believe the district is failing to protect the students.
“Children are hurting. They’re winding up in the hospital,” she said. “This is a serious issue right now.”
Delegate Ric Metzgar said the fights in Dundalk are only a fraction of the violence that’s been happening at county schools.
“I’ve got more reports of school violence this year than I did the last couple of years,” he said.
Sara Elizabeth, who is a sophomore at Patapsco High School, said the school isn’t taking their concerns seriously.
She said students have also complained about sexual harassment.
“I hope that the devious licks were a wake-up call because that was a Tik Tok trend you took more seriously than our students hurting and crying out for pain, because soap was worth more than our safety,” she said.
The group is calling on the district to step up and do more to protect the students.
“When is enough, enough?” asked Darren Badillo, who is running for Baltimore County executive and helped organize the protest.
Baltimore sent a statement in response to the protest:
“BCPS is committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all staff and students. These efforts include a strong partnership with the School Resource Officer program and a robust social-emotional support program for students. BCPS parents are critical partners in this work and we will continue to work together in our system-wide efforts to minimize disruptions to school operations. BCPS will always work quickly to investigate address incidents when they occur and take appropriate action.”
