Sheriff Crisafulli on SCHOOL SAFETY-

 

Worcester County,

I have spoken with many parents who have great concerns following today’s school safety alert. I want to ensure you that our children will always be the number one priority of both my administration and our school system officials. Their safety comes first, and it always has! 

Our recent investigations of social media threats found them to be non-credible. With that said, my team of School Resource Deputies (SRDs) will continue to investigate each threat that is brought to our attention.  We will act swiftly on these reported threats and handle them with the seriousness they deserve to ensure the safety of our students, school personnel and visitors.

To help us more efficiently address reports of this nature, here are a few tips to remember: 

 

DURING THE SCHOOL DAY: 

-  If your child shows you a screenshot or a post with a school-related threat, please immediately call 410-632–1112. If the threat was originated or seen at school, please ask to speak to the School Resource Division Supervisor. If the threat is deemed credible, you will receive further instructions from your child’s school. 

-  If your child is in school and sees a post or a screenshot of a concerning nature, they can immediately take it to the assigned School Resource Deputy or School Administrator for immediate action. 

OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL HOURS:

-  If your child shows you a screenshot of a post or school related threat, please immediately call 410-632-1112, and ask to speak to a Deputy. Relay all the information and concerns to that Deputy. They will take the appropriate action and contact the Supervisor of the School Resource Division to ensure that the investigation is conducted properly. If the threat is deemed credible, you will receive information from your child’s school with further instructions. 

ANONYMOUS REPORTING OPTIONS:

If you see something, say (and report) something! If your child hears or becomes aware of a threat against the school, they or a parent can anonymously report it to us two ways:

-  Use the Safe School TIPS section of our app. To download the Worcester Sheriff mobile app, please visit:

Worcester County Sheriff's Office (MD) App Store Links (myocv.com)

-  Use the Maryland Safe Schools Tipline by calling 1-833-MD-B-SAFE or online at www.SafeSchoolsMD.org .

Timing is critical, so we strongly encourage to report any concerns immediately upon hearing of a threat. We continue to work in unison with our school system and allied partners to ensure that we have the safest schools as possible.

If you have any questions or concerns on anything in this correspondence, please call the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office at 410-632-1112.

Thank you, Worcester County!

Sheriff Matthew Crisafulli