Gangs in area schools

[Anonymous]

I was surprised to see on the news this week about a gang related incident at Einstein HS in Kensington -- we looked at some houses there (in that school district) and thought it was nice but now no way. I've also heard that there is a lot of gang related activity around this region -- is this true and how do you find information on that?

[Anonymous]

Einstein certainly doesn't have the monopoly on gang activity. Unfortunately it's a large problem in may of the DC metro areas, including both Montgomery County and Fairfax County. It wasn't that long ago that the level of gang activity at Springbrook HS was a big topic in the news.

[Anonymous]

Most middle and high schools in this area have gang members in them. However, that doesn't mean they are dangerous or unsafe. In Fairfax Co where I teach, every high school and I think middle school, too, has a police officer in the school. He/she is usually very aware of who is a gang member and what is going on with them. I, too, have had gang members in my classes and I have never felt like they were going to hurt me. It is not just the "bad" schools that have gang members. Most gang-members join because they are looking for a place to fit in. They often don't see their family because they are working all hours or they are here from another country and are looking for people like them. Unfortunately, the gangs often recruit people who are lost or lonely and once they get in and maybe realize it is not the best place, it is too late to get out. It is just a sad fact of life when you are in a metropolitan area that there are going to be gang members in the schools.

[Anonymous]

Do you think private schools have as much gang activity? The most talked-about private schools on this board are also located in or close in to DC. But I've never heard much discussion/news on this. Just because they may come from wealthier families, these children/teens are likely still looking for acceptance and aren't immune to drugs & peer pressure. Any insight?

[Anonymous]

I am the 9:21 poster. With regard to private schools and gangs, I doubt it. In general most gang members are poor and don't have much of a family life. Around here, many of them are recent immigrants - i.e. MS-13, one of the largest gangs in this area was started in El Salvador and most of its members are from Central America. They often don't have much of an education and English is often their second language. I don't think that fits the profile of most private school students. Drugs and peer pressure are a whole other issue that I think are present at ALL schools - but that doesn't have anything really to do with gangs.

[Anonymous]

How pervasive are gangs at TC Williams in Alexandria?

[Anonymous]

bump

[Anonymous]

I work with gang prevention programs in MoCo. What would you like to know?

[Anonymous]

Are the administrators aware of the problem? Do they know who the kids are that are involved? Are the Narcs in the school? Specifically, between Richard Montgomery, Wooton and Rockville High- is one worse off than the others?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are the administrators aware of the problem? Do they know who the kids are that are involved? Are the Narcs in the school? Specifically, between Richard Montgomery, Wooton and Rockville High- is one worse off than the others?

The County police, schools, Health and Human Services, and Rec departments all work together to identify gang members as well as kids who are at risk of joining gangs in an effort to prevent them from doing so. There is security personnel in every school, and there are Educational Facilities Officers (uniformed police) assigned to every high school and two high-risk middle schools. Those EFOs were significantly cut back during the past budget, but they will continue to cover all high schools (just do it more on a part-time basis). There are also community programs designed to provide non-violent activity options for kids, which is where Recreation Dept. comes in. The staff involved in all of these programs do their best to keep tabs on who is a gang member (or at risk of becoming one). Do they know of every single kid? Probably not. But they have a good sense of it. So yes, school administrators know.

The three schools you mention don't have significant gang problems. The ones that do include: Blair, Einstein, Springbrook, Seneca Valley, Wheaton, Paint Branch, and to some extent Gaithersburg High.

If you have a specific problem with certain students or suspect gang activity, you can call the Community Outreach Officer at your local Police Department. I think all those high schools you mentioned are in District 1, but I'm not totally sure about that.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info 7:39!

[Anonymous]

No gangs in privates.

[Anonymous]

To the pp with knowledge of gangs in Md schools? Trying to decide whether we should be trying to move out of the Einstein district for a safer/better school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the pp with knowledge of gangs in Md schools? Trying to decide whether we should be trying to move out of the Einstein district for a safer/better school.

I'm not that familiar with Einstein itself -- I am more familiar with upcounty schools. Einstein's crime statistics are on the high side, but stats shouldn't be, in my opinion, the determining factor for something as huge as moving to or from a school district. If you think your child is susceptible to becoming involved in gang activity, then I'd pick a high school far, far away. If you are worried that your child would be the a bystander victim of gang activity, that isn't as significant an issue as you may think. I went to a fairly high-crime high school, for example, but I was in all the college prep AP and honors classes. I very seldom had any contact with the students causing all the trouble. Gaithersburg has an AP niche like this. It wouldn't surprise me if Einstein did as well.

[Anonymous]

DC attends a public MS in MCPS. He says there are gang members there, but other kids look down on them as kids who need a reason to brag about something -- sort of what a PP mentioned about gang members needing to belong. The worst incident involved spray paint. If your kid is the studious type, they will probably have very little interaction with gangs which are a small minority, as I understand it. If your kid is at risk, then the advice to find another school seems wise.