Send in the moms & dads: School safety fears spark more parent volunteers

They volunteer in shifts a few times a week. They move kids along in the hallways; make sure bathrooms are clear during and after transitions.

They’re a set of ears if a student is having a rough day. A buddy if a kid needs a fist bump.

And in Tramaine Smith’s case, a car salesman at Town and Country Ford, a dad who’s fed up with bellyachers on the sidelines.

“It’s not acceptable to be sitting at home and complaining,” said Smith, whose kids attend Hopewell High School. “I decided, I’m going to do something — to get the call and make a difference.”

Dozens of other parents in Huntersville — most with kids who attend Hopewell High — have stepped up and into the school, where in early November two guns were found after a fight on campus that resulted in police detaining five students.

Days before the incident, Hopewell High had already planned to launch Titan Dads and Moms on Mission, a volunteer program principal Tracey Pickard decided her staff and teachers needed to get the community involved in her school.

“Maybe you’re sitting down and listening to a student who’s going through a hard time and you can help him/her regroup, get back on track,” Pickard said. “Maybe you’re reminding a student to wear his/her mask. You’re here to make a positive difference.”

During a town hall meeting last month after the two guns were found on their campus, students at Hopewell High demanded more transparency and communication from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Luke Settlemeyer, a senior at Hopewell, said everyone must work together to “totally eliminate this behavior.”

‘Talk about it with us’: High school students demand transparency from CMS on safety

Hopewell High is far from the only CMS school with highly-publicized instances of fights, weapons and other safety problems in the first half of the school year.

Last week, four incidents of violence — two involving found guns and another pepper spray used as a weapon — occurred in the district’s schools.

While Superintendent Earnest Winston said last week that schools need an all-hands-on-deck approach to safety and rattled off a list of measures the district is taking, including doubling random safety screenings and creating a reporting tool for students, Hopewell parents say they are what their school needs.

“Get involved, be an influence,” said Dan Scullion, a territory manager for the Simpson Strong-Tie Company with a son who attends Hopewell. “Walk around the halls and show these kids you care.”

‘We’re being moms’

Pickard, who’s in her fourth year as principal of the school with more than 1,800 students, told the Observer that although in its infancy, Titan Dads and Moms on Mission already is making an impact.

“Having the dads and moms in the halls has relaxed the staff,” she said. “You can feel it. They’re extra role-models.”

David Rourke, a director of training for Quality Behavioral Solutions to Complex Behavior Challenges, or QBS, said having parents around a high school campus sets a different tone for students.

“When there’s tension brewing, groups of kids getting ready to fight — when parents are around it feels different than having a teacher around,” Rourke told the Observer. QBS trains teachers and educators in school districts across the country. “As parents you’re talking with students, checking in with them, encouraging them.”

On any given day at Hopewell High, the dads and moms — there are upward of 60 who had signed up as of the week before Thanksgiving — walk the halls or station themselves in an area. The shifts are roughly two hours, or a little longer, and four different time slots are available. The first shift begins at 6:45 a.m. The last shift lasts until 3 p.m.

Dads and moms escort students to bathrooms, make sure students take off hoods, and sometimes, are just a presence.

“We’re being moms,” parent Abbey Ritter said. “We’re here to help support all the kids and their emotions.”

Ritter and Scullion, who was on his first shift when the Observer visited the school, said the hallways were peaceful.

“We’re an extension of the faculty,” Scullion said. “We’re coming in for positive reinforcement.”

Clear backpacks, more solutions coming amid ‘growing crisis’ in CMS, Winston says

‘It takes a community’

More than 90 weapons, including eight guns, were found on CMS campuses between Aug. 25 and Oct. 20, according to district data. Fights and guns have marred the 2021-22 school year in CMS.

The district isn’t alone.

In a recent survey by the Education Advisory Board, 81% of school administrators indicated the frequency of disruptive behaviors in their schools has increased during the past three years, and 71% of teachers responded the same way. Teachers also estimated they lose an average of 144 minutes of instructional time per week (14.5 school days per year) due to behavioral disruptions in the classroom.

“I see a great need for community involvement,” Smith said. “Not just here. Everywhere. It takes a community to raise a child.”

Winston, in a letter to CMS families last Friday, said clear backpacks have been ordered for high schools, but delivery is delayed until February. He also said officials are contacting screening equipment manufacturers about metal detectors and wands.

Lisa Mangum, the chief of police for the CMS Police, said Charlotte Mecklenburg Academy and Turning Point Academy already utilize metal detectors. Mangum said the Safety Screening Team utilizes two portable metal detectors during the screenings, and hand wands are utilized during screening processes at high school football games.

Rourke said parents have always played a role in schools, particularly in elementary schools with extra help in classrooms. But there’s a movement afoot like the one at Hopewell High where parents are getting more involved during the school day.

“(It’s) brewing,” Rourke said of the idea of parents and other community members signing up to be extra pairs of eyes and ears in school hallways. “It’s a kind of an intervention, a cooling down of our schools.”

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