Charging a terrified 10-year-old girl as a criminal is a very bad look for state attorney Dennis Ward | The Edvocate Blog

Charging a terrified 10-year-old girl as a criminal is a very bad look for state attorney Dennis Ward | The Edvocate Blog

Charging a terrified 10-year-old girl as a criminal is a very bad look for state attorney Dennis Ward

What the hell is going on? As a parent, I feel very comfortable using this exact wording to ask this question. In the aftermath of the horrific Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, we must ask ourselves just how far we will let fear push us. The MSD Safety Act means police and armed staff are in our schools and interacting with our children at unprecedented levels.

Recent incidents in Monroe and Orange counties are a shocking reminder that increased police presence in our schools can result in escalating common childhood behaviors to criminal charges that, thanks to obsessive data collection, will become part of a child’s permanent record. This is the highest of stakes.

Protecting our kids isn’t just about active-shooter drills and looking out for bad guys. Real everyday protection means police must be trained and devoted to de-escalating situations in schools. Principals, teachers and staff must possess the professionalism and empathy to recognize that all this talk of being violently killed by unknown AR-15 toting assailants is extremely traumatizing for everyone, especially children.

It’s particularly disturbing that Dennis Ward, the State Attorney from Monroe CONTINUE READING: Charging a terrified 10-year-old girl as a criminal is a very bad look for state attorney Dennis Ward | The Edvocate Blog