Gang Activity in Montgomery County Shcools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I think the county needs to put huge efforts behind getting rid of gangs in MoCo your daughters biggest threat is the cute, rich guy that is giving her drugs for free.

Per a PP, that cute, rich guy is a part of the gang activity in question.

No many are not. They take Xanex from their mom's cabinet and share it with friends. That broken bone, wisdom teeth... left over opiates.

They are not part of a gang, so they seem "ok"... and guess what, they are not ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think your daughters are reasonable to have this as a consideration. What’s more important that feeling safe at school?

Where did OP say that OP's twins are daughters?

But, speaking of feeling safe at school, you can look at the school safety reports. They're for 2015-2016, and MCPS didn't administer the School Survey of Environment to students that year, but for parents, the percent of parents who agreed with "my child feels safe at school" was

Blair - 98%
Paint Branch - 91%
Einstein - 91%
Kennedy - 91%
Northwood - 90%
Wheaton - 91%

and for reference

Whitman - 97%
Wootton - 96%
Churchill - 95%
Walter Johnson - 97%

I doubt there's a meaningful difference between 95% and 91%. So I think your twins will be ok.

There absolutely is a difference, given that the survey was administered to a sizeable population.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think your daughters are reasonable to have this as a consideration. What’s more important that feeling safe at school?

Where did OP say that OP's twins are daughters?

But, speaking of feeling safe at school, you can look at the school safety reports. They're for 2015-2016, and MCPS didn't administer the School Survey of Environment to students that year, but for parents, the percent of parents who agreed with "my child feels safe at school" was

Blair - 98%
Paint Branch - 91%
Einstein - 91%
Kennedy - 91%
Northwood - 90%
Wheaton - 91%

and for reference

Whitman - 97%
Wootton - 96%
Churchill - 95%
Walter Johnson - 97%

I doubt there's a meaningful difference between 95% and 91%. So I think your twins will be ok.

There absolutely is a difference, given that the survey was administered to a sizeable population.

Of course there's a difference. But is it a meaningful difference? Is Einstein meaningfully less safe than Churchill? Is Blair meaningfully more safe than Churchill, or Northwood, or Paint Branch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: They will not even consider Blair or Paint Branch as they say their friends have cited Gang issues at those two schools. Does anyone have any experience with these issues?

OP I taught at a school with a gang presence. It's true that the average student wouldn't know who was a gang member unless they were told. And that the unsafe situations we heard about all took place off school grounds, and after school hours. During school, if you were sitting next to a gang member in class, you were talking about how the homework went, and when is the upcoming test. Just like the other kids. What gang issues the friends did the friends cite? By the way, when I was teaching, recruitment was done mostly at the middle school level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: They will not even consider Blair or Paint Branch as they say their friends have cited Gang issues at those two schools. Does anyone have any experience with these issues?

OP I taught at a school with a gang presence. It's true that the average student wouldn't know who was a gang member unless they were told. And that the unsafe situations we heard about all took place off school grounds, and after school hours. During school, if you were sitting next to a gang member in class, you were talking about how the homework went, and when is the upcoming test. Just like the other kids. What gang issues the friends did the friends cite? By the way, when I was teaching, recruitment was done mostly at the middle school level.

That is so sad. That shows they are still kids that can be saved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are over 2,000 kids in most MoCo high schools, so there's going to be some element of a dangerous crowd at every one of them. Teach your kids to pick and choose their friends carefully and be willing to cut loose anyone who might cause harm to their own safety or well-being.

Frankly, unless there is some specific academic interest that isn't being met by your neighborhood high school, I can't see hauling my kids somewhere else. It's not just the drive to and from school, but all their friends live elsewhere, after school activities, sports, etc. And remember, once they get their drivers licenses, you are going to have these rookie drivers making these trips on their own for a few years.

+1000

All area high schools offer the same things.

- signed parent with 2 kids at out of bounds schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: They will not even consider Blair or Paint Branch as they say their friends have cited Gang issues at those two schools. Does anyone have any experience with these issues?

OP I taught at a school with a gang presence. It's true that the average student wouldn't know who was a gang member unless they were told. And that the unsafe situations we heard about all took place off school grounds, and after school hours. During school, if you were sitting next to a gang member in class, you were talking about how the homework went, and when is the upcoming test. Just like the other kids. What gang issues the friends did the friends cite? By the way, when I was teaching, recruitment was done mostly at the middle school level.

It's also done at the elementary school level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think your daughters are reasonable to have this as a consideration. What’s more important that feeling safe at school?

Where did OP say that OP's twins are daughters?

But, speaking of feeling safe at school, you can look at the school safety reports. They're for 2015-2016, and MCPS didn't administer the School Survey of Environment to students that year, but for parents, the percent of parents who agreed with "my child feels safe at school" was

Blair - 98%
Paint Branch - 91%
Einstein - 91%
Kennedy - 91%
Northwood - 90%
Wheaton - 91%


Find out which schools have in house parole officers. Blair does and that is not true for all schools. When the population of offenders is high, the parole officers go to the schools.
and for reference

Whitman - 97%
Wootton - 96%
Churchill - 95%
Walter Johnson - 97%

I doubt there's a meaningful difference between 95% and 91%. So I think your twins will be ok.

There absolutely is a difference, given that the survey was administered to a sizeable population.

Of course there's a difference. But is it a meaningful difference? Is Einstein meaningfully less safe than Churchill? Is Blair meaningfully more safe than Churchill, or Northwood, or Paint Branch?

[Anonymous]

http://wjla.com/news/crime/17-year-old-ms-13-gang-member-convicted-for-several-assault-charges-gang-participation

This gentleman was in a gang since the age of 13. He must have been attending MS somewhere in the county?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think your daughters are reasonable to have this as a consideration. What’s more important that feeling safe at school?

Where did OP say that OP's twins are daughters?

But, speaking of feeling safe at school, you can look at the school safety reports. They're for 2015-2016, and MCPS didn't administer the School Survey of Environment to students that year, but for parents, the percent of parents who agreed with "my child feels safe at school" was

Blair - 98%
Paint Branch - 91%
Einstein - 91%
Kennedy - 91%
Northwood - 90%
Wheaton - 91%

and for reference

Whitman - 97%
Wootton - 96%
Churchill - 95%
Walter Johnson - 97%

I doubt there's a meaningful difference between 95% and 91%. So I think your twins will be ok.

Please. That is a study put out BY MCPS. I would take that with a grain of salt.

Talk to actual parents. Lots of MCPS have been sorely disappointed in MCPS’ approach to school/student safety over the past few years. Multiple incidents of sexual assault, gang acitivity, weapons in school, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://wjla.com/news/crime/17-year-old-ms-13-gang-member-convicted-for-several-assault-charges-gang-participation

This gentleman was in a gang since the age of 13. He must have been attending MS somewhere in the county?

Why do you call him a "gentleman"?

Also, nobody has said that there are no gang members anywhere in any MCPS school. OP's question is, how should gang activity in Montgomery County affect OP's twins' choice of high schools in the DCC? How is your link relevant to OP's question?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell them they should be more worried about drugs.

Where do you think the drugs come from?? That’s how the gangs make their money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://wjla.com/news/crime/17-year-old-ms-13-gang-member-convicted-for-several-assault-charges-gang-participation

This gentleman was in a gang since the age of 13. He must have been attending MS somewhere in the county?

Why do you call him a "gentleman"?

Also, nobody has said that there are no gang members anywhere in any MCPS school. OP's question is, how should gang activity in Montgomery County affect OP's twins' choice of high schools in the DCC? How is your link relevant to OP's question?

Relevant because PPs are saying that OP shouldn’t worry about having gang members at her kids’ HS. That it’s not really a big deal because there are drugs at every MCPS (which I do agree with FWIW).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Please. That is a study put out BY MCPS. I would take that with a grain of salt.

Talk to actual parents. Lots of MCPS have been sorely disappointed in MCPS’ approach to school/student safety over the past few years. Multiple incidents of sexual assault, gang acitivity, weapons in school, etc.

So systematic data from MCPS is less reliable than anecdotes from individual parents?

[Anonymous]

OP, here had been an increase in gang activity (esp MS-13) as a whole in Montgomery County. MCPD has discussed this and it has been widely reported on the news.

By default, that leads to an increase in gang members in schools. Gangs recruit kids as young as ES.

Different schools have a different level of MS-13 presence. I’d say that the other kids do know about gang activity at the school (kids often know more than administrators) so it would be worth keeping her friends’ comments in mind when making a decision.