BALTIMORE — Parents, teachers and local groups are shouting out against violence in schools.
In front of City Hall in Baltimore on Tuesday, the Parent Community Advisory Board, The Baltimore Teachers Union, the Healing Youth Alliance, Baltimore City Schools board member Durryle Brooks, Baltimore Councilman Zeke Cohen, and other anti-violence movements rallied to push for new initiatives to stop violence in schools.
This comes on the heels of a deadly shooting last week at Mervo High School.
Police said 17-year-old Jeremiah Brogden was shot outside the school on Sept. 2 by a teen who attended another Baltimore City Public School. He died at the hospital.
"Our children are crying out for help," Councilman Cohen said. "When are we going to listen? When are we going to acknowledge that the post-COVID mental health crisis gripping our entire country is having a profound impact on kids here in Baltimore. When will we address the rampant flow of guns into our streets and into the hands of our children?
"A 13-year-old recently told me it was easier for him to purchase a gun than a cigarette. When will we implement practices across all of our schools that have proven to improve climate while reducing conflict and suspensions?"
MORE: Recovery week begins after 17-year-old was killed outside Mervo High School
The group's demand for action includes implementing restorative practices and conflict resolution in every school.
Cohen said he will introduce a resolution at next week's city council meeting.
“The violence facing our children is urgent and heartbreaking," Councilman Cohen said. "Our schools are a reflection of the mental health crisis facing our communities. We must immediately teach conflict resolution, Restorative Justice and other proven practices to support our kids. The time for action is now."
READ MORE:Police identify student shot and killed by teen from another school during dismissal at Mervo High
According to anti-violence leaders, restorative practices is an "evidenced based approach to teaching young people conflict resolution, mediation and accountability."
Cohen said that a 2018 study conducted by a researcher at Johns Hopkins University found that restorative practices in 15 City Schools led to a significant improvement in school climate and a major reduction in suspensions. The study recommended district wide implementation in all schools, for all school staff, by 2022.
Leaders said less than a third of Baltimore City Public Schools have received school-wide training.
"The report called for every school to be trained by 2023, yet currently, less than one-third of our schools provide intensive restorative training. We must do more," Cohen said.
