Following a troubling rise in gun violence nationwide and a shooting at Magruder High School earlier this year, Montgomery County Public Schools is seeking to educate students on safety.
In a letter to parents Tuesday, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight and State’s Attorney John McCarthy notified parents that MCPS high school students will be educated on gun safety this fall in scheduled school assemblies.
According to national data that officials shared from the Gun Violence Archives, the number of teenagers killed and injured by guns nearly doubled since 2014.
McCarthy says the number of guns being seized from young people is on the rise.
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“We want to be proactive, we don’t want to sit on the sidelines,” he said. “We want to be able to tell kids, look, if information comes to your attention, what do you do with it? How can you make yourself, and the entire school, safer?”
The violence has impacted Montgomery County Public Schools, including in January when one student was shot at Magruder High School. A 17-year-old student was charged with attempted murder.
The assemblies will provide information on the law and consequences of gun violence, strategies to resolve problems without violence and warning signs that someone may choose violence, officials said.
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“We ask that you echo these messages at home. Students must seek a trusted adult rather than choosing violence,” the letter said.
Assemblies will happen in Montgomery County’s high schools during fall 2022, the letter said.
Parents can choose for their children not to participate, but all students are encouraged to come.
MCPS shared an anonymous tip line available to the community: 1-833-MD-B-SAFE (1-833-632-7233) or safeschoolsmd.org.
