Fight btw BCC & WJ students after game @ 8:30 Friday night

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I am not convinced that parents are primarily to blame. Several have pointed the finger at lackadaisical parenting skills as a reason for the melee last night. These students are up against a culture that promotes entitlement and disrespect for authority that has been fueled by the pandemic-related events of 2020-2022.

A culture of entitlement and disrespect for authority starts at home. This has nothing to do with the pandemic and kids have been back in school for over two years now. Stop blaming the pandemic for bad parenting. Kids don't get this way overnight. This was many years in the doing, prior to covid and they know they can do it as there is no supervision or consequences at home. MCPS should require a parent or legal guardian to attend these games or close them to the public if students cannot behave without that level of supervision. But, even so, this happened off MCPS property so those "kids" were under the supervision of their parents so ultimately the parents failed somewhere and this didn't just happen 3 years ago. Plenty of kids DON'T behave this way and also went through the pandemic.

Your post is so opinionated and judgmental. Any experienced parent, or wise adult in general, knows that of course parenting matters but it's not everything. Kids are born with certain genetics that you can't always control. Or there are circumstances that you can't control. Experiences that they go through that you can't control. Plenty of well parented kids grow up to have many issues. And plenty of poorly parented kids grow up to be perfectly well adjusted and successful.

We all wish we could point the finger at someone for everything, but the reality is that you can't.

You really want to argue all of those kids are special needs and cannot be controlled. Then they should be in a residential program, like RICA or another program if the parents cannot handle them. Bottomline is where were the parents. They weren't supervising their kids after the football game and the kids violently attacked another. When your kids dress in all black and put masks over their faces, as a parent, that's not a red flag to you?

These are high school kids. Let's say, ages 14-18. Do you think it's inappropriate for kids aged 14-18 to be out in downtown Bethesda on a Friday evening without a parent?

I would not let my 14 year old free roam. 16-18 if they were well behaved sure. But, I expect to know exactly where they are and what they are doing. A 14 year old should not be freely roaming. This is why these things are happening. And, as a parent, if my kid was dressed in all black carrying a face mask common sense is something is seriously off and going to happen.

What exactly constitutes "freely roaming"? Would you expect your kid to text you, "outside the metro station committing assault"? Do you think the kids left home with their ski masks on?

I expect them to text me if there is a change of plans. I would never ever let my kid hang out at a place like that as I know what happens there. This isn't anything new. It was happening 25-40 years ago and still is. People acting shocked shouldn't be. This has always been a rough school hidden by the wealth of Chevy Chase and Bethesda.

You don't monitor what clothing your kids go out in or where they are? This is why this stuff is happening. Until they are 18 and graduated high school they are your responsibility.

Meaning, downtown Bethesda?

Considering BCC (and WJ) students have open lunch. This is extra ridiculous.

Open lunch for all high school students is indeed ridiculous. You should have to earn the privilege.

The privilege of eating lunch? And how do you think school staff should enforce this, and do you think this is the best use of their time?

The privilege of eating lunch anywhere other than a monitored cafeteria or classroom setting--yes.

They don't all fit in the cafeteria. And teachers are not lunch monitors.

I've had duties to monitor lunch time and breakfasts throughout my career in both private and public school education. I've also stood in the middle of the road in the rain with an umbrella helping students cross a 2 lane highway. When you work in rural and inner city settings, you do what's needed.

Your experience is not relevant to MCPS, where teachers have a contract. Though I'm sorry your employers did not have the will and/or resources to treat you like a professional.

Actually, we wanted to help our students stay out of trouble and succeed. I have worked for some incredibly amazing principals who performed those duties along with us (and took on the task of monitoring bathrooms). I can promise you our students were not kicking other kids in the head. Very few were smoking on campus, keeping weapons in their bookbags, using drugs, or having sex in the bathrooms. They were well run schools with dedicated professionals as leaders.

Did students have real consequences for bad behavior?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's at least one other video circulating on Instagram of the events - it's longer than the one posted at the top of this thread and it show multiple people on the ground being kicked and stomped. The video shows a pretty big crowd - 20 people at least including a number of girls who are throwing punches and stomping someone. Some of the assailants can be clearly identified. The police and school authorities should have lots of evidence. It sounds like the schools did a lot to try to prevent this from happening; maybe they just need to ban student attendance at games altogether? It's outrageous.

Btw there was a BCC student last year who beat another student with a chair. It made the news and provoked a thread here at the time. One of my DCs graduated from BCC in May and I was shocked to hear the kid's name called for graduation - and he got huge cheers from the crowd. Despite the fact that he'd been violent repeatedly during his time at BCC. I have another kid still at BCC and I think it's a fantastic school in many ways. But there's something really wrong, obviously.

He threw a chair at another student. Still majorly problematic, but far from beating someone with a chair.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I am not convinced that parents are primarily to blame. Several have pointed the finger at lackadaisical parenting skills as a reason for the melee last night. These students are up against a culture that promotes entitlement and disrespect for authority that has been fueled by the pandemic-related events of 2020-2022.

A culture of entitlement and disrespect for authority starts at home. This has nothing to do with the pandemic and kids have been back in school for over two years now. Stop blaming the pandemic for bad parenting. Kids don't get this way overnight. This was many years in the doing, prior to covid and they know they can do it as there is no supervision or consequences at home. MCPS should require a parent or legal guardian to attend these games or close them to the public if students cannot behave without that level of supervision. But, even so, this happened off MCPS property so those "kids" were under the supervision of their parents so ultimately the parents failed somewhere and this didn't just happen 3 years ago. Plenty of kids DON'T behave this way and also went through the pandemic.

Your post is so opinionated and judgmental. Any experienced parent, or wise adult in general, knows that of course parenting matters but it's not everything. Kids are born with certain genetics that you can't always control. Or there are circumstances that you can't control. Experiences that they go through that you can't control. Plenty of well parented kids grow up to have many issues. And plenty of poorly parented kids grow up to be perfectly well adjusted and successful.

We all wish we could point the finger at someone for everything, but the reality is that you can't.

You really want to argue all of those kids are special needs and cannot be controlled. Then they should be in a residential program, like RICA or another program if the parents cannot handle them. Bottomline is where were the parents. They weren't supervising their kids after the football game and the kids violently attacked another. When your kids dress in all black and put masks over their faces, as a parent, that's not a red flag to you?

These are high school kids. Let's say, ages 14-18. Do you think it's inappropriate for kids aged 14-18 to be out in downtown Bethesda on a Friday evening without a parent?

I would not let my 14 year old free roam. 16-18 if they were well behaved sure. But, I expect to know exactly where they are and what they are doing. A 14 year old should not be freely roaming. This is why these things are happening. And, as a parent, if my kid was dressed in all black carrying a face mask common sense is something is seriously off and going to happen.

What exactly constitutes "freely roaming"? Would you expect your kid to text you, "outside the metro station committing assault"? Do you think the kids left home with their ski masks on?

I expect them to text me if there is a change of plans. I would never ever let my kid hang out at a place like that as I know what happens there. This isn't anything new. It was happening 25-40 years ago and still is. People acting shocked shouldn't be. This has always been a rough school hidden by the wealth of Chevy Chase and Bethesda.

You don't monitor what clothing your kids go out in or where they are? This is why this stuff is happening. Until they are 18 and graduated high school they are your responsibility.

Meaning, downtown Bethesda?

Considering BCC (and WJ) students have open lunch. This is extra ridiculous.

Both schools have always had open lunch. None of the high schools have cafeteria's to hold as many kids as they need to and they used to have multiple lunch times and now the schools often just have one lunch, which makes it a nightmare without open lunch.

My point is that these kids are “roaming” without parental supervision every school day.

Way back when, the security guards would go to those locations and monitor things. Not sure what they do now. And, if it happens off campus, police should be involved and held accountable through the courts. This attack should go to court, not just a slap on the wrist from MCPS. The county needs to get serious about this and charge these kids as adults and use them as an example.

Nothing wil happen. Even if police arrest them, they won't be prosecuted or will get a slap on the wrist at most. They are juveniles, and probably first offenders.

Remember we also have groups in the county like Silver Spring Justice Coaltition, who says we need to reduce police and decriminalize fare evasion on metro. The County has largely followed their demands.. so it's no surprise that these crimes are being treated lightly.

https://silverspringjustice.wordpress.com/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not convinced that parents are primarily to blame. Several have pointed the finger at lackadaisical parenting skills as a reason for the melee last night. These students are up against a culture that promotes entitlement and disrespect for authority that has been fueled by the pandemic-related events of 2020-2022.

A culture of entitlement and disrespect for authority starts at home. This has nothing to do with the pandemic and kids have been back in school for over two years now. Stop blaming the pandemic for bad parenting. Kids don't get this way overnight. This was many years in the doing, prior to covid and they know they can do it as there is no supervision or consequences at home. MCPS should require a parent or legal guardian to attend these games or close them to the public if students cannot behave without that level of supervision. But, even so, this happened off MCPS property so those "kids" were under the supervision of their parents so ultimately the parents failed somewhere and this didn't just happen 3 years ago. Plenty of kids DON'T behave this way and also went through the pandemic.

Your post is so opinionated and judgmental. Any experienced parent, or wise adult in general, knows that of course parenting matters but it's not everything. Kids are born with certain genetics that you can't always control. Or there are circumstances that you can't control. Experiences that they go through that you can't control. Plenty of well parented kids grow up to have many issues. And plenty of poorly parented kids grow up to be perfectly well adjusted and successful.

We all wish we could point the finger at someone for everything, but the reality is that you can't.

You really want to argue all of those kids are special needs and cannot be controlled. Then they should be in a residential program, like RICA or another program if the parents cannot handle them. Bottomline is where were the parents. They weren't supervising their kids after the football game and the kids violently attacked another. When your kids dress in all black and put masks over their faces, as a parent, that's not a red flag to you?

These are high school kids. Let's say, ages 14-18. Do you think it's inappropriate for kids aged 14-18 to be out in downtown Bethesda on a Friday evening without a parent?

I would not let my 14 year old free roam. 16-18 if they were well behaved sure. But, I expect to know exactly where they are and what they are doing. A 14 year old should not be freely roaming. This is why these things are happening. And, as a parent, if my kid was dressed in all black carrying a face mask common sense is something is seriously off and going to happen.

What exactly constitutes "freely roaming"? Would you expect your kid to text you, "outside the metro station committing assault"? Do you think the kids left home with their ski masks on?

I expect them to text me if there is a change of plans. I would never ever let my kid hang out at a place like that as I know what happens there. This isn't anything new. It was happening 25-40 years ago and still is. People acting shocked shouldn't be. This has always been a rough school hidden by the wealth of Chevy Chase and Bethesda.

You don't monitor what clothing your kids go out in or where they are? This is why this stuff is happening. Until they are 18 and graduated high school they are your responsibility.

Meaning, downtown Bethesda?

Considering BCC (and WJ) students have open lunch. This is extra ridiculous.

Open lunch for all high school students is indeed ridiculous. You should have to earn the privilege.

The privilege of eating lunch? And how do you think school staff should enforce this, and do you think this is the best use of their time?

The privilege of eating lunch anywhere other than a monitored cafeteria or classroom setting--yes.

They don't all fit in the cafeteria. And teachers are not lunch monitors.

I've had duties to monitor lunch time and breakfasts throughout my career in both private and public school education. I've also stood in the middle of the road in the rain with an umbrella helping students cross a 2 lane highway. When you work in rural and inner city settings, you do what's needed.

Your experience is not relevant to MCPS, where teachers have a contract. Though I'm sorry your employers did not have the will and/or resources to treat you like a professional.

Actually, we wanted to help our students stay out of trouble and succeed. I have worked for some incredibly amazing principals who performed those duties along with us (and took on the task of monitoring bathrooms). I can promise you our students were not kicking other kids in the head. Very few were smoking on campus, keeping weapons in their bookbags, using drugs, or having sex in the bathrooms. They were well run schools with dedicated professionals as leaders.

Did students have real consequences for bad behavior?

Restorative justice. Even in-school suspensions are being scaled back because some races are disproportionately represented then:
https://moco360.media/2023/03/09/black-hispanic-students-disproportionately-suspended-for-disrespect-mcps-data-shows/

[Anonymous]

Last year, Maryland enacted juvenile justice reform. Now juveniles under 13 can't be arrested at all unless it's a very serious crime like murder.

There are now limits on probation length and holding juveniles in detention facilities too.

https://www.aecf.org/blog/maryland-enacts-sweeping-youth-justice-reforms

So for those asking that these youths be prosecuted and put in prison... well it's simply not going to happen.

[Anonymous]

Here’s a question—is there a text number for 911? I ca. see a kid not wa tick to make a call to 911 because someone might hear you and start beating you. But is it possible to just text 911 “child being beaten in downtown bethesda near metro. Pls help”. Or something like that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not convinced that parents are primarily to blame. Several have pointed the finger at lackadaisical parenting skills as a reason for the melee last night. These students are up against a culture that promotes entitlement and disrespect for authority that has been fueled by the pandemic-related events of 2020-2022.

A culture of entitlement and disrespect for authority starts at home. This has nothing to do with the pandemic and kids have been back in school for over two years now. Stop blaming the pandemic for bad parenting. Kids don't get this way overnight. This was many years in the doing, prior to covid and they know they can do it as there is no supervision or consequences at home. MCPS should require a parent or legal guardian to attend these games or close them to the public if students cannot behave without that level of supervision. But, even so, this happened off MCPS property so those "kids" were under the supervision of their parents so ultimately the parents failed somewhere and this didn't just happen 3 years ago. Plenty of kids DON'T behave this way and also went through the pandemic.

Your post is so opinionated and judgmental. Any experienced parent, or wise adult in general, knows that of course parenting matters but it's not everything. Kids are born with certain genetics that you can't always control. Or there are circumstances that you can't control. Experiences that they go through that you can't control. Plenty of well parented kids grow up to have many issues. And plenty of poorly parented kids grow up to be perfectly well adjusted and successful.

We all wish we could point the finger at someone for everything, but the reality is that you can't.

You really want to argue all of those kids are special needs and cannot be controlled. Then they should be in a residential program, like RICA or another program if the parents cannot handle them. Bottomline is where were the parents. They weren't supervising their kids after the football game and the kids violently attacked another. When your kids dress in all black and put masks over their faces, as a parent, that's not a red flag to you?

These are high school kids. Let's say, ages 14-18. Do you think it's inappropriate for kids aged 14-18 to be out in downtown Bethesda on a Friday evening without a parent?

I would not let my 14 year old free roam. 16-18 if they were well behaved sure. But, I expect to know exactly where they are and what they are doing. A 14 year old should not be freely roaming. This is why these things are happening. And, as a parent, if my kid was dressed in all black carrying a face mask common sense is something is seriously off and going to happen.

What exactly constitutes "freely roaming"? Would you expect your kid to text you, "outside the metro station committing assault"? Do you think the kids left home with their ski masks on?

I expect them to text me if there is a change of plans. I would never ever let my kid hang out at a place like that as I know what happens there. This isn't anything new. It was happening 25-40 years ago and still is. People acting shocked shouldn't be. This has always been a rough school hidden by the wealth of Chevy Chase and Bethesda.

You don't monitor what clothing your kids go out in or where they are? This is why this stuff is happening. Until they are 18 and graduated high school they are your responsibility.

Meaning, downtown Bethesda?

Considering BCC (and WJ) students have open lunch. This is extra ridiculous.

Open lunch for all high school students is indeed ridiculous. You should have to earn the privilege.

The privilege of eating lunch? And how do you think school staff should enforce this, and do you think this is the best use of their time?

The privilege of eating lunch anywhere other than a monitored cafeteria or classroom setting--yes.

They don't all fit in the cafeteria. And teachers are not lunch monitors.

I've had duties to monitor lunch time and breakfasts throughout my career in both private and public school education. I've also stood in the middle of the road in the rain with an umbrella helping students cross a 2 lane highway. When you work in rural and inner city settings, you do what's needed.

Your experience is not relevant to MCPS, where teachers have a contract. Though I'm sorry your employers did not have the will and/or resources to treat you like a professional.

Actually, we wanted to help our students stay out of trouble and succeed. I have worked for some incredibly amazing principals who performed those duties along with us (and took on the task of monitoring bathrooms). I can promise you our students were not kicking other kids in the head. Very few were smoking on campus, keeping weapons in their bookbags, using drugs, or having sex in the bathrooms. They were well run schools with dedicated professionals as leaders.

Did students have real consequences for bad behavior?

Yes, definitely, but not corporal punishment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a question—is there a text number for 911? I ca. see a kid not wa tick to make a call to 911 because someone might hear you and start beating you. But is it possible to just text 911 “child being beaten in downtown bethesda near metro. Pls help”. Or something like that?

Yes, it's available in MD, and the number is easy to remember - 911.

https://odhh.maryland.gov/text911/

However, that was a fairly large crowd of kids there. Something tells me no one will notice a person stepping aside few feet and calling. There's plenty of background noise to distrct like buses driving by -- it's a major bus station after all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not convinced that parents are primarily to blame. Several have pointed the finger at lackadaisical parenting skills as a reason for the melee last night. These students are up against a culture that promotes entitlement and disrespect for authority that has been fueled by the pandemic-related events of 2020-2022.

A culture of entitlement and disrespect for authority starts at home. This has nothing to do with the pandemic and kids have been back in school for over two years now. Stop blaming the pandemic for bad parenting. Kids don't get this way overnight. This was many years in the doing, prior to covid and they know they can do it as there is no supervision or consequences at home. MCPS should require a parent or legal guardian to attend these games or close them to the public if students cannot behave without that level of supervision. But, even so, this happened off MCPS property so those "kids" were under the supervision of their parents so ultimately the parents failed somewhere and this didn't just happen 3 years ago. Plenty of kids DON'T behave this way and also went through the pandemic.

Your post is so opinionated and judgmental. Any experienced parent, or wise adult in general, knows that of course parenting matters but it's not everything. Kids are born with certain genetics that you can't always control. Or there are circumstances that you can't control. Experiences that they go through that you can't control. Plenty of well parented kids grow up to have many issues. And plenty of poorly parented kids grow up to be perfectly well adjusted and successful.

We all wish we could point the finger at someone for everything, but the reality is that you can't.

You really want to argue all of those kids are special needs and cannot be controlled. Then they should be in a residential program, like RICA or another program if the parents cannot handle them. Bottomline is where were the parents. They weren't supervising their kids after the football game and the kids violently attacked another. When your kids dress in all black and put masks over their faces, as a parent, that's not a red flag to you?

These are high school kids. Let's say, ages 14-18. Do you think it's inappropriate for kids aged 14-18 to be out in downtown Bethesda on a Friday evening without a parent?

Yes, absolutely. It’s one of the delights of growing up here (or it was).

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Boys in fatherless homes do less well in life. They have plenty to rage about, including their single mothers with little if any authority, and her various boyfriends.

Absentee/ part time fathers can never be equal to a strong, loving and disciplined father in the home.

Kids who grow up with parents who are judgmental, angry and like to criticize other families tend to do very poorly when they grow up. I feel so bad for kids who have parents like the one above, they are going to grow up so messed up. It's really sad that they don't have a loving mother who demonstrates respect for other people and understanding of different circumstances.

This is a parenting issue regardless of the home situation. There were at least a dozen, if not more kids involved and given that there would be multiple family situations, all of which the parents failed to supervise and discipline their kids. MCPS should require parents to attend the football games or at least require the parents to pick them up if the kids cannot act responsibly. These incidents are happening far to frequently and if they are off MCPS property, MCPS cannot be blamed and parents need to be held accountable for their kids behaviors.

For all you know, the kids involved were never even actually at the game.

That is very true, and if so, then it really has nothing to do with MCPS. Especially given the timing.

If they are MCPS students harming other MCPS students, even if it’s outside of school grounds, it has to do with MCPS.

Yes. Why can’t MCPS adopt the same rules that the private schools follow, which is basically if you do anything anytime anywhere while you are a student at our school, and it brings dishonor to the school, you risk expulsion.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I can assure you that the parents of the victims intend to pursue getting the perpetrators charged.

Great. My kids go to BCC and I hope they kick the kids far out.

Won't happen. Occurred off school grounds. If they were part of a sports team ,they can be kicked off that (since it's optional and they can make them agree to other rules), but what you do outside of school is not grounds for kicking you out of school.

Which is a good thing, lest schools start kicking out goods for attending a political rally on some "controversial" topic.

The principals letter made it clear that students will face discipline for their behavior in accordance with MCPS’s “code of conduct” so it does sound like they will face some kind of consequence, even if it’s not expulsion.

It will be RJ. For what that exactly looks like in MoCo schools see recent WP link upthread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not convinced that parents are primarily to blame. Several have pointed the finger at lackadaisical parenting skills as a reason for the melee last night. These students are up against a culture that promotes entitlement and disrespect for authority that has been fueled by the pandemic-related events of 2020-2022.

A culture of entitlement and disrespect for authority starts at home. This has nothing to do with the pandemic and kids have been back in school for over two years now. Stop blaming the pandemic for bad parenting. Kids don't get this way overnight. This was many years in the doing, prior to covid and they know they can do it as there is no supervision or consequences at home. MCPS should require a parent or legal guardian to attend these games or close them to the public if students cannot behave without that level of supervision. But, even so, this happened off MCPS property so those "kids" were under the supervision of their parents so ultimately the parents failed somewhere and this didn't just happen 3 years ago. Plenty of kids DON'T behave this way and also went through the pandemic.

Your post is so opinionated and judgmental. Any experienced parent, or wise adult in general, knows that of course parenting matters but it's not everything. Kids are born with certain genetics that you can't always control. Or there are circumstances that you can't control. Experiences that they go through that you can't control. Plenty of well parented kids grow up to have many issues. And plenty of poorly parented kids grow up to be perfectly well adjusted and successful.

We all wish we could point the finger at someone for everything, but the reality is that you can't.

You really want to argue all of those kids are special needs and cannot be controlled. Then they should be in a residential program, like RICA or another program if the parents cannot handle them. Bottomline is where were the parents. They weren't supervising their kids after the football game and the kids violently attacked another. When your kids dress in all black and put masks over their faces, as a parent, that's not a red flag to you?

These are high school kids. Let's say, ages 14-18. Do you think it's inappropriate for kids aged 14-18 to be out in downtown Bethesda on a Friday evening without a parent?

I would not let my 14 year old free roam. 16-18 if they were well behaved sure. But, I expect to know exactly where they are and what they are doing. A 14 year old should not be freely roaming. This is why these things are happening. And, as a parent, if my kid was dressed in all black carrying a face mask common sense is something is seriously off and going to happen.

What exactly constitutes "freely roaming"? Would you expect your kid to text you, "outside the metro station committing assault"? Do you think the kids left home with their ski masks on?

I expect them to text me if there is a change of plans. I would never ever let my kid hang out at a place like that as I know what happens there. This isn't anything new. It was happening 25-40 years ago and still is. People acting shocked shouldn't be. This has always been a rough school hidden by the wealth of Chevy Chase and Bethesda.

You don't monitor what clothing your kids go out in or where they are? This is why this stuff is happening. Until they are 18 and graduated high school they are your responsibility.

Jesus, how old are you? Forty years ago? Ok, 40 years ago I was in college. But Bethesda was a cement manufacturing, blue collar town back then. This started to radically change probably 25 or 30 years ago. And with 1/2 of the school coming from Chevy Chase - well, that part was always upscale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kid who was attacked was a WJ student, and I am certain.

https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/2023/09/02/violent-mob-attacks-two-students-after-maryland-hs-football-game/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not convinced that parents are primarily to blame. Several have pointed the finger at lackadaisical parenting skills as a reason for the melee last night. These students are up against a culture that promotes entitlement and disrespect for authority that has been fueled by the pandemic-related events of 2020-2022.

A culture of entitlement and disrespect for authority starts at home. This has nothing to do with the pandemic and kids have been back in school for over two years now. Stop blaming the pandemic for bad parenting. Kids don't get this way overnight. This was many years in the doing, prior to covid and they know they can do it as there is no supervision or consequences at home. MCPS should require a parent or legal guardian to attend these games or close them to the public if students cannot behave without that level of supervision. But, even so, this happened off MCPS property so those "kids" were under the supervision of their parents so ultimately the parents failed somewhere and this didn't just happen 3 years ago. Plenty of kids DON'T behave this way and also went through the pandemic.

Your post is so opinionated and judgmental. Any experienced parent, or wise adult in general, knows that of course parenting matters but it's not everything. Kids are born with certain genetics that you can't always control. Or there are circumstances that you can't control. Experiences that they go through that you can't control. Plenty of well parented kids grow up to have many issues. And plenty of poorly parented kids grow up to be perfectly well adjusted and successful.

We all wish we could point the finger at someone for everything, but the reality is that you can't.

You really want to argue all of those kids are special needs and cannot be controlled. Then they should be in a residential program, like RICA or another program if the parents cannot handle them. Bottomline is where were the parents. They weren't supervising their kids after the football game and the kids violently attacked another. When your kids dress in all black and put masks over their faces, as a parent, that's not a red flag to you?

These are high school kids. Let's say, ages 14-18. Do you think it's inappropriate for kids aged 14-18 to be out in downtown Bethesda on a Friday evening without a parent?

I would not let my 14 year old free roam. 16-18 if they were well behaved sure. But, I expect to know exactly where they are and what they are doing. A 14 year old should not be freely roaming. This is why these things are happening. And, as a parent, if my kid was dressed in all black carrying a face mask common sense is something is seriously off and going to happen.

What exactly constitutes "freely roaming"? Would you expect your kid to text you, "outside the metro station committing assault"? Do you think the kids left home with their ski masks on?

I expect them to text me if there is a change of plans. I would never ever let my kid hang out at a place like that as I know what happens there. This isn't anything new. It was happening 25-40 years ago and still is. People acting shocked shouldn't be. This has always been a rough school hidden by the wealth of Chevy Chase and Bethesda.

You don't monitor what clothing your kids go out in or where they are? This is why this stuff is happening. Until they are 18 and graduated high school they are your responsibility.

Meaning, downtown Bethesda?

C’mon, there are plenty of kids from BCC, WJ, not to mention the area privates - Prep, Gonzaga, Landon, SJC, Bullis, Stone Ridge, etc who hang out in Bethesda every weekend night and nothing like this happens. I’m not about to restrict my kid’s freedom just because of this incident - but I will check the football schedule in the future and ban outings on those nights.

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Anonymous wrote:I am not convinced that parents are primarily to blame. Several have pointed the finger at lackadaisical parenting skills as a reason for the melee last night. These students are up against a culture that promotes entitlement and disrespect for authority that has been fueled by the pandemic-related events of 2020-2022.

A culture of entitlement and disrespect for authority starts at home. This has nothing to do with the pandemic and kids have been back in school for over two years now. Stop blaming the pandemic for bad parenting. Kids don't get this way overnight. This was many years in the doing, prior to covid and they know they can do it as there is no supervision or consequences at home. MCPS should require a parent or legal guardian to attend these games or close them to the public if students cannot behave without that level of supervision. But, even so, this happened off MCPS property so those "kids" were under the supervision of their parents so ultimately the parents failed somewhere and this didn't just happen 3 years ago. Plenty of kids DON'T behave this way and also went through the pandemic.

Your post is so opinionated and judgmental. Any experienced parent, or wise adult in general, knows that of course parenting matters but it's not everything. Kids are born with certain genetics that you can't always control. Or there are circumstances that you can't control. Experiences that they go through that you can't control. Plenty of well parented kids grow up to have many issues. And plenty of poorly parented kids grow up to be perfectly well adjusted and successful.

We all wish we could point the finger at someone for everything, but the reality is that you can't.

You really want to argue all of those kids are special needs and cannot be controlled. Then they should be in a residential program, like RICA or another program if the parents cannot handle them. Bottomline is where were the parents. They weren't supervising their kids after the football game and the kids violently attacked another. When your kids dress in all black and put masks over their faces, as a parent, that's not a red flag to you?

These are high school kids. Let's say, ages 14-18. Do you think it's inappropriate for kids aged 14-18 to be out in downtown Bethesda on a Friday evening without a parent?

I would not let my 14 year old free roam. 16-18 if they were well behaved sure. But, I expect to know exactly where they are and what they are doing. A 14 year old should not be freely roaming. This is why these things are happening. And, as a parent, if my kid was dressed in all black carrying a face mask common sense is something is seriously off and going to happen.

What exactly constitutes "freely roaming"? Would you expect your kid to text you, "outside the metro station committing assault"? Do you think the kids left home with their ski masks on?

I expect them to text me if there is a change of plans. I would never ever let my kid hang out at a place like that as I know what happens there. This isn't anything new. It was happening 25-40 years ago and still is. People acting shocked shouldn't be. This has always been a rough school hidden by the wealth of Chevy Chase and Bethesda.

You don't monitor what clothing your kids go out in or where they are? This is why this stuff is happening. Until they are 18 and graduated high school they are your responsibility.

For the record, the WJ theme was “black out”, so yes, when I dropped my 15yo off in all black I was well aware what he was wearing and where he was. He was participating in an age appropriate activity, supporting his friends and school. Others lost control and committed crimes.

You’re sure about this?
Well, WJ better not let that be the theme next year! Too easy to disguise yourself!