PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. – With ongoing frustrations aimed at addressing safety for PGCPS students, a few community initiatives have been created by those looking for solutions.
The Ardmore Springdale Association is starting a Community Power Hour in the neighborhoods around Charles H. Flowers High School, where several students have been robbed after school.
The effort is simple: the association is asking neighborhood residents that if they have outdoor chores such as walking their dog or mowing the lawn, do them between 2-3 PM when Flowers is letting students out to help spot and prevent crime. Some students believe this will help while others have said that robbers would still act in broad daylight.
Another community endeavor that recently began is the Safe Passage Project, an effort to recruit volunteers who can assist students at the most dangerous intersections in Prince George’s to get to and from school safely. This effort will begin this spring and continue into the summer, and all volunteers must sign liability waivers and receive training from violence interrupter Jawanna Howard.
“We must change our focus from “what are they doing” to “what can we do!” The community infrastructure we place around our schools to enhance the overall educational experience for our students determines their safety and how successful educators can be,” said School Board Member Branndon Jackson (District 6) in a press release.
Jackson, Prince George’s County Council Chair Jolene Ivey (D- District 5), Councilmembers Wala Blegay (D- District 6) and Krystal Oriadha (D- District 9), and District Heights Commissioner Anthony Tilghman are all collaborators in this effort to improve community and road safety.
At the time of writing, this program has been implemented in neighborhoods near four schools.
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