ROCKVILLE, MD — Asian American students and parents are being targeted, harassed and bullied amid fears over the new coronavirus, a Montgomery County Public Schools spokeswoman told Patch.

In an interview Tuesday, MCPS spokeswoman Gboyinde Onijala said students and their families have both seen and been victims of bullying in the wake of the growing coronavirus outbreak, which includes five Montgomery County residents. The virus, officially called COVID-19, emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 and has since infected more than 118,000 people and killed more than 4,200 around the world as of Tuesday afternoon. In the United States, authorities have reported at least 959 confirmed cases and 28 fatalities. Maryland has had no fatalities related to the new coronavirus and had nine confirmed cases as of Tuesday.

The State of Maryland has five confirmed positive cases in Montgomery County, three positive cases in Prince George's County, and one positive case in Harford County. Don't miss updates about the new coronavirus in Maryland. Get Patch news alerts.



Onijala declined to provide detailed information about the harassment. But she said some community members reported being yelled at by people and being called "very harmful and hurtful things." Onijala also says she doesn't believe there have been any physical confrontations. "It's not reflective of the type of society and community that we encourage our students to be a part of," she said.

The Chinese American Parents Association of Montgomery County could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.



In a message to students and families Monday, Montgomery County school officials condemned the bullying and harassment, and encouraged community members to report any incidents online or to a school employee.

