UPDATE: Concerns Related to Criminal Misconduct and Evidence of Violations of Maryland State Law Within Worcester County Public School System
Updated 10/25/23:
Worcester County State’s Attorney Kristin Heiser and Sheriff Matt Crisafulli are disappointed with the Board of Education’s response to law enforcement’s serious concerns about school and student safety. The concerns pertain to criminal misconduct and delinquent acts occurring within Worcester County Public Schools and the failure to notify law enforcement. The Talk of Delmarva is attempting to reach school board officials for a comment. The letter is posted below:
Joint Statement of Sheriff Crisafulli & State’s Attorney Heiser Regarding School Safety Concerns
October 24, 2023
State’s Attorney Heiser and Sheriff Crisafulli are disappointed with the Board of Education’s
response to law enforcement’s serious concerns about school and student safety. After waiting for over a
month to receive any response, it is now abundantly clear that school officials plan to take no meaningful
action to resolve the specific concerns law enforcement detailed for them during their presentation on
October 4th. The Sheriff and State’s Attorney now urge the Board to immediately reconsider.
The Board’s response does not outline any specific corrective actions the Board or school
officials will take to comply with state law, it does not address the specific questions posed about school
safety-related protocols, nor has the Board decided to accept law enforcement’s offer to provide regular
updates to ensure they have full and accurate information about crime occurring in the schools. As a
result, the Sheriff and State’s Attorney remain concerned that the pattern and practice of minimizing
safety concerns, excusing student misconduct without disciplinary action, failing to take precautionary
measures to prevent further victimization, and failing to notify school resource deputies and parents about crime in our schools will continue unabated.
Unfortunately for the community, but perhaps unsurprisingly, school officials are once again
outright denying that school safety issues exist, even after having been confronted with direct evidence
and concrete examples. It appears that school officials are choosing to prioritize the appearance of
school safety over actual school safety. As it stands, the often-repeated conclusion of school officials that
“schools are safe” doesn’t make it so, and a so-called “task force” comprised of all the same individuals
with whom law enforcement has continuously discussed these safety issues for the past 4 years is not
likely to suddenly become an effective solution. Law enforcement would, however, be willing to
consider participation in a task force with a membership having the demonstrated ability to effect positive changes within the schools.
At this juncture, Sheriff Crisafulli and State’s Attorney Heiser remain dissatisfied with the safety
situation in our schools and are actively discussing law enforcement’s options. The Sheriff and the
State’s Attorney want to assure the community that school safety remains their utmost priority, and that
their efforts in this area will continue undeterred until Worcester County attains the highest standard of
safety within the schools. Community updates will be provided by both the Office of the State’s Attorney
and Worcester County Sheriff’s Office as they continue to work together to bring transparency and
accountability in matters of school safety.
Earlier Post:
Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser sent a letter to Todd Ferrante–president of the Worcester County Board of Education regarding the state’s attorney and sheriff’s office about concerns in the Worcester County public school system. Those concerns pertain to evidence that there have been and continue to be repeated and at times intentional violations of Maryland state law by school officials in failing to notify law enforcement of criminal misconduct and delinquent acts occurring within Worcester County Public Schools. Worcester County Commissioner President Chip Bertino tells the Talk of Delmarva’s Mike Bradley just how concerning this issue is…
He adds that Sheriff Heiser and Sheriff Matt Crisafulli are serious people in serious positions and that he would not take lightly their concerns regarding what is contained in that letter. In terms of steps that need to be taken with the Board of Education on the issue, as the commissioner president, Bertino says he has asked the Sheriff and State’s Attorney to provide the same briefing to the County Commissioners that they provided to the Board of Education, and that meeting will take place in closed session this coming Tuesday morning, October 17th.
