What do principals have a right to know?
Recently, a student in a Howard County public school came to school with a gun and fatally shot another student. Turns out the student had a record of such offenses. The principal didn’t know that. The Superintendent knew the student had a record with the Department of Juvenile Services but was not told how serious the record was.
The question is-who benefits from this system? Some say it is not fair to the student to carry the burden of past offenses for everyone to know. How can he start over? Others say it is the primary duty of the local superintendent and the principal to keep the other students safe. Can these both be true?
Maryland had a rule that superintendents could share the specifics of reportable offenses (rape, murder, weapons charges) to the receiving superintendent. They were not required to. Some did, some didn't. Following the fatal shooting of a student in Columbia, Howard County things changed with lightening speed.
Citizens demanded action from their legislators. Turned out that wasn’t necessary. At the next State Board of Education meeting the State Board enacted emergency legislation that requires sending superintendent to notify the receiving superintendent of any transfer student with a reportable offense that has been charged or convicted. The receiving superintendent is then required to notify the receiving principal. School districts are required to provide an education to all children between the ages of 5-18 in Maryland. But that education does not have to be in the comprehensive school with other children. The measure was passed as an emergency regulation so it went into effect immediately without the usual period of public comment and an open hearing. The speed was lightening even for emergency rulings.
As usual there are three sides to every story. Some people are very concerned for the safety of the general population and do not want students with these kinds of past behaviors in the school. They are concerned about events such as the ones that have recently happened. Others think this will stigmatize these young people and not give them a chance to change. This situation will be particularly true if school districts chose to educate delinquents with serious offenses in segregated environments or virtually. Is there a third option that would protect both sets of kids, those who have offended and those who have not? Once you have the right to know, what do you do with the information?
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