Republican candidate for Baltimore County Executive Pat McDonough unveiled what he called a "two punch" plan designed to stop violence in Baltimore County Schools.
The first part of McDonough's plan would encourage parents to report violence to the police instead of reporting it to school officials. The second part of the plan threatens a lawsuit against Johnny Olszewski and school officials, claiming they are violating the constitutional and civil rights of parents and children.
"The problem is the Olszewski and the leadership of the school system have been telling people that the violence is not that bad and they've been telling lies that there is a system already in place that is reacting and trying to help out. Well, it's not working. Whatever it is, it's not working and the violence continues," said McDonough.
Most recently, a violent video circulated on social media of a confrontation outside of Perry Hall High School. Pastor Charles Neal and his family said the video shows his 15-year-old niece holding a bat, trying to protect herself from the bullies whose harassment they say she’s endured for an entire year.
Brad Kroner, Campaign Manager for Olszewski, responded to the plan with a statement, saying:
As a BCPS parent and former teacher, County Executive Johnny Olszewski’s top priority is ensuring that our schools are safe and supportive spaces for our children to learn and grow.
County Executive Olszewski continues to take action to keep our schools safe, including an expansion of our nationally recognized school resource officer program, hiring more teachers, social workers and counselors, and investing millions of dollars in school safety infrastructure — all the while also making upstream investments in our communities to ensure all of our children thrive.