The parking lot at New Town High School in Owings Mills is full. School is out for the summer, but parents, teachers and even students stopped by to meet the incoming superintendent.
Dr. Myriam Yarbrough officially takes the helm as the leader of Baltimore County Schools on July 1. Ahead of her official start date, Yarbrough held three listening sessions.
The former chemistry teacher is a 26-year-veteran in education. She shared four focus areas:
- Academic achievement
- Infrastructure
- Safety and climate
- Highly effective teachers, leaders and staff
Of the four goals she outlined, participants here zeroed in on goal three: safety and climate.
“It’s a theme,” said Rachel Hamil, who is a parent. “We'd like to see improving school safety [addressed] immediately. So everyone feels safer students, staff.”
Other parents shared stories of their children experiencing bullying and intimidation. Walter Zebulon said his son’s bully was suspended from school repeatedly, but never expelled. That’s because in Maryland, elementary age students cannot be kicked out of school. His wife, Ira Zebulon, worries about the long-term effects.
“I just moved here in January,” she said. “And what I noticed was the bullying. It hit every child in that classroom that will affect their learning. So being a mom, that's the biggest concern. How can they learn if they scared to go to school?”
“In prison they move prisoners to different prisons. Why can't you — that policy needs change,” said Walter Zebulon.
Yarbrough said she understands the frustration but can’t break state law. She said transfers or administrative placements are possible, as a last resort.
In the southern part of the county, community members packed the Sollers Point Technical High School Café in Dundalk on June 22. The area’s sizable Hispanic population is well represented.
A woman towards the front of the room rises to acknowledge the considerable turnout.
”Always remain diligent and aware of us Hispanic communities,” she says. “We are here in Dundalk, we are here in Baltimore County.” She also praises county leaders for making Spanish interpreters available, and asks Yarbrough if letters sent home could be written in Spanish.
William Feur is with the Southeast Area Advisory Council. He says goal two, infrastructure, is top of mind.
“This building is overcrowded,” said Feur. “We have a middle school that has an elementary middle school, and we're getting more trailers.”
Feur also says he wants to see school leadership invest in Dundalk, just as they would in Towson. He says the administration and Board of Education should hold meetings in the area, as a way to improve equity and access.
“It can be a challenge for families — many who are shift workers — in the isolated peninsula to trek to district headquarters in the Northeastern part of the county,” he said.
For Yarbrough one thing is clear. She says partnership will be key to meeting the various needs.
”We need parents,” said Yarbrough. “We need communities. We need to come together with the county government and other partners to make sure we're taking care of all of our students.“
Five more listening sessions will be held across the county in July.
