By Kristina Lopez
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The Baltimore County Board of Education on Tuesday night heard the pleas of parents and community members concerned about reports of violence and assaults at the Lutherville Laboratory Elementary School.
“We have had many calls and emails from concerned parents about injured teachers, fights in the hallways, kids thrown into classrooms to get away from the trouble going on, and the welfare of everyone in the building,” said Christina Pumphrey who spoke on behalf of the Baltimore County PTA Council.
The elementary school is a new site for the Social Emotional Learning Program, called SEL. The goal of the program is to enable students, parents, and staff to understand and control emotions and behavior while focusing on maintaining a positive environment so students can form relationships with those around them. The SEL Program is currently in 19 other Baltimore County schools.
“I am here tonight asking you to take a serious look at the entire program and how it is being run,” said Marie Hoerr, president of the Lutherville Lab PTA. “How are the students placed, how is the program staffed, and what are the qualifications being asked for those that are supporting and teaching the SEL Program?”
Parents, Lutherville Lab students and community members crowded the board room to support speakers willing to voice their concerns. Pumphrey, vice president of the Central Area Council, explained that staff and parents are unhappy with the way the program is being run. She said that Council President Jayne Lee had communicated in April how the program would be implemented.
“By September, there should have been sufficient time to staff the program and train all involved adequately,” said Pumphrey. “If the program was not fully staffed and if all involved were not fully and properly trained, the program should’ve been delayed.”
“Our chief concern in the PTA is the health and well-being of all children, and safety for all staff as well as children,” she added. “The present situation is unsafe for staff, teachers and students and exasperates the emotional needs of the children this program is meant to help.”
Hoerr described how she has talked with numerous people within different departments of the Baltimore County Public Schools. She said she questioned the requirements and training of those who run the SEL Program at Lutherville Lab. Also, she said she questioned how students enrolled in the program who already deal with “really big feelings and emotions” can be properly supported and instructed when the teachers specialized to work with these students seem to be underqualified to do so.
“For the children in the SEL Program they need support to use other avenues to communicate,” Hoerr said. “Each of these children have the right to a free and public education in the least restrictive environment.”
The BCPS Board of Education accepted the comments but never explicitly addressed the SEL Program at Lutherville Lab.