Letter To The Editor: In Response To “Students And Parents Push For Culture Shift To End Severna Park’s Suicide Problem”

I have a number of concerns with this article. Having had one child who went to Old Mill Middle and Old Mill High School and one child who has experienced only the Severna Park school system, I can provide firsthand feedback that the experience is much different.

There are so many major differences between Severna Park High School and Severna Park Middle School compared to Old Mill and Glen Burnie schools:

• These areas are more transient. Children are moving in and out on a regular basis
• Children with problems are more likely to drop out, so there is a higher overall dropout rate
• The outright physical violence and bullying is much greater and the children know not to report
• The amount of outright drug dealing is more prevalent. Again, the kids know to keep their mouths shut
• Only the minority of parents are involved. My wife was on the PTA and only a handful of parents would show up to meetings
• Teen pregnancy is higher
• Gangs are the norm
• The ability to skip school is easier

There was rarely a day that I picked up my daughter from Old Mill that I did not witness fist fights. I was told directly by teachers at Old Mill that they love smartphones because they are a great babysitter in class.

The parents in the Severna Park school district are very involved. The school system has set a standard that allows for students to come forward to report issues. The students are pushed to succeed. This is not bad, it is great. It creates the Michael Jordan effect where everyone else pushes to be better.

Most importantly, teachers and administrators are held to a high level in Severna Park. They will not get away with ignoring what’s in front of their faces.

I seriously doubt that the suicide rate is any greater here than in the surrounding areas. If the actual numbers were truly compared, including dropouts, kids who move, etc., there are going to be more actually reported here because of the community.

Finally, you state that “Severna Park has seen nearly 20 suicides in as many years.” That statement is not qualified with facts. Unacceptable. What years and age ranges? What does nearly mean? There were 16, so we rounded to 20? Was this a two-year period or a 20-year period?

Thank you for writing about this and bringing attention to it. I don’t believe suicide is more common here than other areas when hard data is reviewed that allows for true comparison. It is certainly a much safer environment. We are probably creating more snowflakes, but that is the risk.

Again, thank you for an actual article that addresses a real issue instead of the local bake sale.

Mark Hill
Severna Park