Denial in Maryland

In Washington County, Maryland, the school board recently adopted a policy which addresses gangs and gang activity in the schools.  However, the assistant superintendent felt it was important to tell the public that this policy was being implemented, not because the district feels it has a gang problem, but because the Maryland State Department of Education mandated it.  He further stated, “We don’t recognize that we have an epidemic of gang activity in our schools.  In fact, we believe we have little gang activity in our schools.”  The policy defines gangs, requires staff to report confirmed or suspected activity, and mandates yearly training on prevention and intervention.  The policy further states that the police need to be notified prior to parents being informed.

Is this modern day denial?  If you have an asst. superintendent publicly saying he doesn’t have a gang problem and this is merely being done to comply with state mandates, how much effort is going to be placed into locating and providing the right training?  If the police are informed of a gang related incident or threat and they don’t act on it, will the parents still be notified?  While the majority of the problems will probably not be that serious, what happens when something “real” does happen and a pattern emerges of prior behavior? 

I reviewed the 2010 census information for Washington County.  According to the data, there is a population of almost 147,000 people and it is 90% Caucasian.  What may be being ignored is the county’s proximity to major cities that are known to have significant gang problems.  Both Baltimore and Washington, DC, are about 70 miles away.  Pittsburgh, PA and Richmond, VA are only 3 hours away. 

Further reading into the situation reveals blatant denial of the issues.  During the past school year, groups of students at local high schools, middle schools, and the alternative school were involved in bullying, theft, and graffiti AND were identified as displaying the colors of nationally recognized gangs.  However, a local gang “expert” was not ready to label this as gang activity and stated that since some of the students were seniors, they would not be returning to school anyway. 

Although it is commendable that the state board of education mandated the schools to enact these policies, it will be interesting to watch what happens in this area in the next few years.  With the proximity to the large cities, obvious gang activity brewing, and the denial of issues by the local powers that be, this area is prime for an awakening. 

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