The conversation of how best to restore order at the county’s oldest high school continues in the community and board rooms.
On April 25, the Calvert County Board of Education’s evening work session started with a motion from member Lisa Grenis to direct Superintendent Andraé Townsel to provide the panel with an action plan for addressing disciplinary issues at Calvert High School for presentation at their May meeting.
“I have a sense of urgency about this,” Grenis said.
The three other board members present — Jana Post was absent — while not denying the problem, did take some umbrage at the notion that nothing was being done or that all the attention must be directed at Calvert High.
“I believe it [plan] needs to be comprehensive,” board member Inez Claggett said, adding later that a longer timeline for developing strategy would be needed and a “community conversation” with teachers, parents and students given an opportunity to speak up be provided.
Board president Antoine White and Townsel both stated that they have been visiting Calvert High and speaking with teachers, administrators and even some students about the list of issues, which include fights, alleged drug use, vaping in the bathrooms and teachers being spoken to in a disrespectful manner.
Townsel said he met with all of the Calvert High educators who attended an April 11 school board meeting to request action.
“I’ve walked the halls,” Townsel said. “I take discipline very serious. My boots were on the ground. We are going to continue to listen to the educators.”
“It’s going to take everybody to be a part of this,” White said. “They are working on a plan.”
Grenis, however, noted that any strategies that have been in place to maintain order at the school “are not working.”
Claggett’s request for a “friendly amendment” to Grenis’ original motion to expand the action plan timeline was declined.
“I think we can come up with some strategies,” Grenis said. “We can do something.”
The board majority voted down Grenis’ motion, with Claggett expressing her confidence in Townsel, stating the superintendent “is well aware of the concerns and issues at Calvert High School.”
“My fear is these problems will escalate and lead to something tragic,” Grenis said later during board comments. She added that “illegal drug use continues to be a major problem” in the high schools and noted that Calvert High’s drug-related referrals and out-of-school suspensions were much lower than the county’s other three high schools. She asked the superintendent to do an investigation “to determine if there are fewer drug problems at Calvert High School or if we have an enforcement issue.”
Grenis also mentioned that on April 11 all four high schools’ student parking lots were searched for drugs by local law enforcement. However, school administrators declined to let law enforcement conduct K-9 hallway searches of lockers. She said law enforcement was told the searches weren’t needed since many students now use “one-on-one devices” (Chrome books and iPads) and no longer use lockers.
“Unless we have a school with no drugs or other illegal activities occurring in the buildings, all lockers should have been searched,” Grenis said.
“We need a collaborative plan of action rather than just airing and talking about things,” Erin Hammett, a Calvert High teacher, said during the session’s public comment.
White reminded those in attendance that the school system’s challenges weren’t limited to one school and those other lingering problems included racism and bullying.
Of the students whose parents are figuratively pointing fingers on social media over the school’s behavioral issues, White opined that “they [the children] are watching us,” adding that too many adults are “focusing on blaming someone.”
Jordan Hayes, the student board member, said she was “very happy to hear there’s action being taken at Calvert High School. In talking to my peers there, the students know that change is needed.”
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