A group of Maryland public schools have canceled field trips to Baltimore out of concern with the city’s rising violence, school officials announced Monday.
Carroll County Public Schools received the official order last Wednesday after getting a recommendation from the county Sheriff’s Department to do so because of “escalating violence” in the Maryland city, reports The Baltimore Sun.
“In light of recent violence in the traditional tourist areas of the City, the Sheriff agrees that the best course of action is to temporarily suspend travel to Baltimore City venues,” Sheriff’s Department spokesman Cpl. Jonathan Light said in a statement. Sheriff Jim DeWees made the recommendation at a school meeting after some parents expressed concern with the safety of their children when in Baltimore.
The city has seen its homicide rate skyrocket in 2017, passing the 300 mark in early November. The crime has also made its way to the tourist spots in the city, as one bar worker was shot and killed outside of a store recently. Various groups have tried to tamp down on the violence, going so far as to host a “ceasefire weekend” in an attempt to stop the homicides in the city.
The Carroll County Public Schools system plans to reassess the temporary halt on field trips to Baltimore later on in January. The system has already canceled two upcoming field trips for their students: one to the Maryland Science Center and allowing students to participate in the Mayor’s Annual Christmas Parade.
The mayor of the city, Catherine E Pugh, expressed disappointment with the fact that students from the Carroll County Public Schools would not be traveling to the city.
“Mayor Pugh is disappointed by the Carroll County Public Schools decision and hopes that they will reconsider,” spokesman Anthony McCarthy said. “The events and sights the students were set to participate in and visit are unique and represent positive experiences for these young people.”
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