July 30th, 2013 by WCBC Radio
Since the tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary school last December, school security discussion locally has centered on enhancing the current system in place, with a focus on gun issues. However it has been incidents of bomb threats that have kept school officials frustrated for several years now- and an effort to toughen the penalties against students found to have perpetrated such a threat failed to get anywhere in this year’s session of the Maryland General Assembly. That bill, introduced by the District One delegation, failed to get out of committee. It would have required that in such cases, some juveniles be prosecuted as adults; and it would help authorities cope with the rash of bomb threats that have occurred at area schools in the past few years. School Superintendent David Cox says that not only do bomb threats interrupt the school day with evacuations and sometimes transports to other schools; but it also leads to the loss of valuable classroom time for students. Delegate Kevin Kelly said that while some school jurisdictions in Maryland have actually chosen not to evacuate unless there is solid verification that a threat is valid; he would not advise the local system to move in that direction…
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