Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Students involved will receive consequences per the MCPS Student Code of Conduct."

If your student was a victim, is this enough?

If there is a “victim” it’s assault and they will be arrested.

According to whom?

Maryland law

Technically, it’s not illegal to have a fight, if two parties agree to fight but it is against the code of conduct in schools.

If one person attacks another person, and that person did not agree to fight that is considered an assault, and that is against the law.

Anonymous wrote:Was it a fight or an assault?

It’s not clear what altercation means legally.

This gray area about whether something like this categorized as a fight or assault is why our incident reporting is trash.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Students involved will receive consequences per the MCPS Student Code of Conduct."

If your student was a victim, is this enough?

If there is a “victim” it’s assault and they will be arrested.

According to whom?

Anonymous wrote:"Students involved will receive consequences per the MCPS Student Code of Conduct."

If your student was a victim, is this enough?

If there is a “victim” it’s assault and they will be arrested.

Was it a fight or an assault?

It’s not clear what altercation means legally.

"Students involved will receive consequences per the MCPS Student Code of Conduct."

If your student was a victim, is this enough?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a horrible letter.

It's not a horrible letter. There are legal privacy rights of minors that must be respected. The police have been involved, appropriately, to determine if law enforcement follow-up is needed. And, students who fought, and students who callously recorded the incident to share on social media, will all be held accountable according to the code of conduct. What is horrible about any of this?

What else do you want to see communicated?

Clear communication about the consequences that these children will be facing, as well as what violent kids in general will face. And a greater focus on condemning the violence and less on addressing the fact that it was recorded. As well as information about the health status of the victim and what lengths that will be taken to address his own physical, mental and emotional healing from the attack.

Anonymous wrote:It was a horrible letter.

It's not a horrible letter. There are legal privacy rights of minors that must be respected. The police have been involved, appropriately, to determine if law enforcement follow-up is needed. And, students who fought, and students who callously recorded the incident to share on social media, will all be held accountable according to the code of conduct. What is horrible about any of this?

What else do you want to see communicated?

You're never going to be happy with the letters from principals for issues like this because they are very limited in what they can say per MCPS legal liabilities etc.

That said, I am frustrated with the continued focus on kids who record incidents. Was the kid who recorded the recent Whitman incident a friend of the aggressors? Maybe. Maybe not. The video, however, is and will be helpful for police and administration should they choose to use it. A friend with a son at BCC said that, after a recent altercation, the principal specifically called out kids who record incidents and seemed to make a bigger issue of that than the actual incident. Sensationalizing violence by recording and posting on SM is one thing, but taking video as evidence of what happened is another.

They’re never going to publicly name the students involved.

It’s a privacy issue, especially because they’re most likely minors. Unless one of them was over 18 and was actually arrested and charged, nothing will ever be made public.

I assume most people would want the same consideration if their kid happened to be involved somehow—even as a victim.

Anonymous wrote:It was a horrible letter.

It's a letter designed to adhere to sharing the most minimal information and specifics because MCPS is always most concerned with legal liabilities, not the community they're supposed to serve.

It was a horrible letter.

February 3, 2025
Dear Walt Whitman High School Community Members, I am writing to inform you about an incident that occurred on Monday, February 3, 2025, at Walt Whitman High School. This afternoon, a physical altercation took place involving several Whitman students. The incident was recorded and is being shared with members of the Whitman community. The matter has been reported to the Montgomery County Police Department and an investigation is currently underway. Students involved will receive consequences per the MCPS Student Code of
Conduct. I would like to underscore that physical violence is not acceptable in our communities and is not a healthy, productive way for conflict resolution. Such behavior is
troubling and poses a threat to the safety of our students. Furthermore, when students record these harmful actions, they exacerbate the situation. Actions that violate our standards will not be tolerated, and students who engage in such behavior will face consequences in accordance
with the MCPS Code of Conduct. We encourage any students affected by this incident to seek support from our counselors, social worker, and
Bridge to Wellness staff.
Sincerely,
Gregory Miller
Principal

https://x.com/M4LMoCo/status/1886541630280183897

letter calls it a "physical altercation" and there's no mention of who was involved.

Does anyone have a copy of the letter sent out to parents about the fight on Monday? Does it mention who was involved?