Col. Zadok Magruder High School PTSA, Inc.

5939 Muncaster Mill Road ● Rockville, Maryland 20855

Magruder HS PTSA Minutes 3/8/10

mhs-ptsa.org

I. Call to Order - Linda Kuserk, President, called the meeting to order at

7:05pm.
Approximately 150 people were in attendance at the beginning of the
meeting.

II. Discussion of Recent Events at Magruder - Mr. Evans began by

introducing the members of his administrative team (Ms. Hudson, Mrs. Price-
Coleman, Ms. Adamson and Mr. Shirk), security team leader (Mr. Seested),
and EFO (Officer Henderson-Neal).
Mr. Evans stated that the purpose of this meeting was to dispel rumors and
answer
parent questions.

Mr. Evans then recounted the events beginning on Friday February 26,
2010
when the power was out at Magruder. There was a food fight during one
of the lunch
periods and there was an altercation later in the day. The students were
out of control during the power outage and there were rumors of a weapon in the
school so a Code Blue was called (the initial response to a potential crisis situation) to
restore order in the building. Upon investigation, no weapon was found and a
connect-ed message went out to parents that evening discussing the events that
had happened that day.

The following Monday, March 1, 2010 between 8:00am and 8:30am there
was an
altercation between 4 male students. The staff believe that this was a
planned confrontation and these students came to school with the
intent to fight. This event
may have been related to the altercation that took place on the previous
Friday afternoon.
That afternoon there was an unprovoked physical assault between 2 girls.
Also, there was a confrontation between 2 girls later in the week, but it was
totally unrelated to the other events.

Question: Are the students who were the assailants still in school?
Mr. Evans: The students are not in school at this time. A decision about their
return to school is not made by me.. I have made a recommendation for what I feel would
be the best outcome for Magruder.
 Question: Are those students being charged with a crime?
Mr. Evans: The police were called and if charges are filed, that is a police
matter.

Question: Was the entire student body called together for an assembly to discuss
these events?
Mr. Evans: No, 3 separate PA announcements were made to the students
regarding the events.

Question: How is the decision made whether to allow the students back in school
or not?
Mr. Adrian Talley, Community Superintendent:. There is due process that
must be followed. A free, public education cannot be denied to anyone. These students will
have a hearing where these events and all other incidents in their MCPS history
will be reviewed and a decision will be made. The four options available are:
expulsion from MCPS, placement in an alternative program, transfer to another MCPS school,
return to Magruder. The hearings will be coming up soon.

Question: My daughter was hit and no one from the school called to let us know.
Her girlfriend
called us and told us what happened.
Mr. Evans: The staff's first response was to insure the well being of the student
involved. Your daughter's condition in the health room was our primary concern. Then
the administrators were
trying to restore order in the building - at that time there were about 400 students
in the hallway.

There are now new safety procedures in place. The teachers are patrolling the
hallways with
the administrators and security staff. They all have walkie-talkies so they can
communicate with
each other. Usually the staff has some idea that an incident might take place and
so are on higher
alert, but that day, they believe the assailant attacked your daughter unprovoked.

Question: Were these incidents gang or drug related?

Mr. Evans: Neither incident were gang or drug related. There is no gang
problem at Magruder. Last year, we knew of some students who we believed to be members of
MS-13 - they were confronted about a year ago and were told not to continue
their activities in the school building. Since then, there have not been any problems
with tagging, etc. until just recently.

Mr. Seested: Just within the past 3 1/2 weeks there have been markings on the
walls - BMH and
MC2 (squared). The stairwells have been tagged the most since there are no
security cameras in
the stairwells. The staff have found 3 markings that are within sight of security
cameras and those tapes are being carefully reviewed. The staff thinks that BMH stands
for "bud, money, honeys" or "blood, money, honey". They have heard that 3 people
are responsible and right now
they are trying to identify a white male seen by the locker room in the A hallway.

Officer Henderson-Neal: I have spoken to the MCPD gang task force

coordinator at the
Wheaton police station and he does not believe that the markings seen at
Magruder are typical
gang or gang "wanna-be" taggings. The task force has pictures/names/data base of
gang members in Montgomery County and this is not what is being seen
at Magruder.

Mr. Evans: Our primary concern is what happens in the building at Magruder.
The staff has
confronted students who were wearing certain colors and rosary beads and told
them not to do
that at Magruder. There have been incidents where a friend may have retaliated
on another
friend's behalf just to throw off the staff. This still does not fall into the category
of "classic gang
behavior."

Mr. Evans: Any violence/aggression is unacceptable. Gang activity is far more

organized and sustained. Far more serious than what we have dealt with here.

Magruder has 6 new security cameras in the building this year. There is a high
priority placed on security and it is important to remember that the vast majority of
students at Magruder do not
participate in this type of behavior. The students are scared because these were
unusual events. Students should not "stalk" the events when they take place; taking
pictures and posting them on
the internet does not help the situation. Also, there were so many students trying
to watch the assaults that they impeded the staff trying to assist the victims.

Even though there are not gangs now at Magruder, the staff will remain vigilant to
make sure
things don't start. They are trying to keep open the lines of communication with
all students.

Question: What has been enhanced since these events occurred?

Mr. Evans: The response from the staff has been great. The teachers are
monitoring the hallway outside their classroom so that other staff can monitor the
stairwells and bathrooms during the change of classes time. There are too many
students at Magruder who are not invested in learning. The staff is trying to
identify these students and intervene. The staff is also trying to establish good relationships
with students so the students will share anything they might know.

Question: My daughter was an eye witness to the assault by the girl. She tried to
get her to stop
 but was unsuccessful. She wants to know, what else could she or should she have
done?
Mr. Evans: First, try to prevent the assault before it happens - if you know it is
imminent, tell a
staff person. Second, get an adult to help stop the assault - any adult in the
building. Some of
the staff had a hard time getting to the assailant and the victim because so many
other students were blocking the hallway and they could not get through the crowd.
Third, when something like this happens, walk the other way. Don't stand on the tables to
get a better view, don't be
disrespectful to the staff who are trying to get through the crowd to help.

Question: Are there consequences for the students who were blocking the staff?
Mr. Evans: The staff tries to have "teaching moments" in these situations, but it
is hard to do because so many students were involved and then many rumors were
going around and that just
made the situation worse.

Question: There was an article in the Gazette last year that listed the "Top 10
schools in
Montgomery County where students are afraid to go to school" and Magruder was
#10 on
that list.
Mr. Evans: The staff will continue to talk to the students about the rumors that
have been going
around regarding these incidents. The perception of the students can become "the
truth" if the
rumors don't stop. Students should ask a trusted adult at Magruder about the
truth/untruth of
the rumors.

The attack on Monday morning clearly was not a random attack. This event
happened so early
in the day that the staff feels like the assailants came to school that day with the
intent on attacking the other boy.

The staff and administrators are continuing to work on what happens during the
change of classes time period. More staff in the hallways and the security cameras
are part of the
adjusted strategy to deal with these type of incidents.

Question: Have you been getting support from the Superintendent's office?
Mr. Evans: Absolutely. Mr. Talley's office is the first call that is made and then
the PTSA President is notified in these situations. I take full responsibility for what
goes on
in the school building. Students have to be available for learning when they
arrive for school.

Right now, Magruder is down one security staff member because of illness. Since
there is a hiring freeze in MCPS, a substitute has not been able to be hired. I have
just received approval from the Superintendent's office to hire a security
substitute for the time being.

Mr. Talley: The county is moving some security cameras from one school to
another. Because
of this, there will be some extra cameras available and they will be brought to
Magruder. Also,
the MCPS Director of Security has just confirmed that state of the art security
cameras will be available to certain schools on July 1, 2010,. I will be writing a
memo to the Director of Security to request this state of the art system for
Magruder.

Mr. Talley: I have been here in the building at Magruder over the past few days
and things are going as they should be going. The majority
of students are doing what they are
supposed to be doing. I also feel that the "rubbernecking" that goes on during
fights is human nature and that everyone needs to work on being better at
just moving on and not
rubbernecking. Also, the teachers are doing more than what is required in their
contract by
volunteering to supervise the hallways during the change of classes.

Question: What communication is happening with the student body to let them
know what's going on, prevent further incidents, help them feel safe?
Mr. Evans: The staff is always trying to have open, honest communication with
the students
before these incidents take place. Most students respond well to this approach.
Also, the
students will have consequences if they are disrespectful, use bad language, etc.
Some
students think these rules don't apply to them. The staff is trying to promote a
climate that is
conducive to learning.

Question: Do you ever look at Facebook or other internet sites to try to learn
what's going on?
There may be a list of students who are "targeted" on line?
Mr. Evans: Yes, we are aware of the most recent thing the students are talking
about. This just
happened today, so we are still investigating the situation. Parents also have to
play a role in
knowing what your kids are doing on line. There has to be a partnership between
the parents and
the school. Parents need to let the school staff know when they hear of a potential
problem at Magruder. Then the staff will try to investigate the situation as much as
possible.

Question: Can students exchange information with staff members?

Mr. Evans: Yes, students are reminded that they should find an adult they are
comfortable with
 and share their concerns. There is no hotline or confidential email set up right
now that students
can use - the student assistance program is mostly to deal with drug/alcohol
issues. The staff
does get a lot of information from students, but they should and would like to get
more.

Question: Have the kids who were hurt returned to school?

Mr. Evans: One student returned today and 2 others will return tomorrow. Upon
their return to
school, they will meet with me, security staff members and administrators.

I will also meet with SGA and class officers to discuss these events. There is a
high level of disrespect toward adults and brazen disregard for school
rules; even when there are staff
members close by, there are some students who behave badly.

Question: Were back-up police officers called when these events took place?
Mr. Evans: No, the incidents were handled by the school staff. There is too
much willful disrespect and disregard for the rules by some students at Magruder.
These students, if identified, are subject to consequences such as suspension.
The parent's help is needed to
talk to their students about the kind of behavior that is expected in school.

Question: Is it true that administrators can't exceed certain suspension rates?

That there are only
a "certain number of suspensions" allowed per year?
Mr. Evans: No, this is not true. I do not negotiate consequences with students.
The
suspension rate at Magruder is higher than I would like but I'm willing to risk
that.
I will call out a student whose behavior is intolerant.

Mr. Talley: There is no instruction to principals to suppress suspension rates.

State law says
that suspension is allowed if a student's behavior is detrimental and disruptive to
the school
environment.

Question: Is there a way to inform parents more quickly when these type of
events occur?
Mr. Evans: We recognize that communication to parents can be better so that
rumors can be
dispelled quickly and we are working on that, but in these situations, the events
have to be fully
investigated before the communication with parents can happen. Parents are
always notified
when their child is identified as being involved with the event.
 Again, if a student knows something and isn't comfortable talking to a staff
member about it,
they need to tell their parent what is going on so the parent can notify the school.

III. Treasurer's Report - At this time the PTSA bank balance is $9499 and the
After Prom
bank balance is $6129.

IV. President's Report - This is not a PTSA business meeting since proper notice
was not
given regarding the change of date, so no motions or new business will take
place during this
meeting.

V. Principal's Report - Upcoming dates:

March 25 - Senior Banquet
April 23 - Senior Breakfast
May 15 - Senior Prom
All detentions must be served and SSL hours must be complete before
seniors can participate in any of these events. The seniors have been reminded
of this multiple times.

VI. Committee Reports -

• Town Meeting - for parents on April 15th - When Good Teens Make Bad Choices
Speakers will be Laura Lynch, Assistant State's Attorney, Mr. Wigham, MCPS
supervisor of suspensions, expulsions, etc and 2 counselors from Adventist Behavior
Health systems.
• Staff Appreciation - the staff really appreciated the chocolate fountain that was provided.
• After Prom - After Prom is Sunday May 16. This is not an event just for senior parents,
all Magruder parents are encouraged to get involved and volunteer. There will be a
mulch sale fundraiser on April 10.

VII. Adjournment - the meeting was adjourned at 8:40pm.

Respectfully submitted;

Fidelia Romanowski
Secretary