“This is serious:” Wicomico Co. officials warning against school threats
WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. – School threats are on the rise in Wicomico County, all of which have been successfully handled without incident.
Now officials are warning Friday that serious consequences will be taken for children making these bad decisions. With just four school threats already in the new year, law enforcement is making it clear that school safety is their number one priority. They tell me a threat is no laughing matter and they’re prepared to take action to the fullest extent of the law.
“Everybody’s unnervy going, “what’s going on? why are we on lockdown?” Captain Rich Wiersberg explains.
That is the question students and faculty were left asking at the start of 2023. The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office successfully took action following a series of threats at county public schools. “We had a little span in January we had three in the month of January and one in February, we don’t believe they’re related at all. There is no indication that they are related, so it’s not something that occurs on a regular basis,” the Captain says.
When these incidents do occur, Captain Rich Wiersberg says communication is key. On-site at Wicomico County Public Schools, School Resource Officers are first to respond. “They’re actually a part of the school community, you’ll see them laughing and joking with the kids, their primary job though is to make sure the school environment is safe from any internal and external threat, but they are truly a part of the community,” Captain Wiersberg adds.
If you do the crime, regardless of if it’s a credible threat or not, Captain Wiersberg says you won’t go unpunished, as safety is a number one priority for school officials. “If you hear something going on, please let somebody know, an administrator, or the deputy that’s in the school, or if you’re thinking about doing this – I want them to know that we at the sheriff’s office and the Board of Ed take these very seriously,” the Captain says. “Schools get shut down, kids get sent home and instruction can’t occur, each of these must be taken seriously,” says Wicomico County States Attorney Jamie Dykes.
The States Attorney says one bad decision can leave a mark on your permanent record. “Some of the charges that can be pursued are most common threats of mass violence, disturbing school operation, they can all have detrimental effects for an entire school and in some cases, depending on the number of schools, an entire school system,” says States Attorney Dykes.
Charges, that if convicted of could hurt your future. “Juveniles should be cautioned to not make these threats, they have incredible impacts in communities,” says Dykes. “And we will do everything we can to see who did this and hold them accountable,” adds Captain Wiersberg.
Officials say disruptions like this don’t only affect school resources, but also the toll it takes on mental health. The fear inside school walls, when you never know if the next threat is just around the corner. “We do worry about the students that are affected, they could be in the middle of a test and all of a sudden the test gets shut down when they’re trying to learn, and that disrupts their school day and you’re right if they come back the next day fearful of what might happen the next day cause they went through this traumatic incident,” says the Captain.
Captain Wiersberg encourages parents to have a conversation with their kids in hopes to deter kids from making a life-changing mistake. Again the Sheriff’s Office encourages if you see something, say something.
Be a part of the solution, not the problem.
