Parents' Fear of Sexual Predators and Abductors on School Campuses

School Security is a Major Concern Among Parents of Children in Grades K-8

As millions of students start a new school year, results of a new survey indicate that nearly half of the parents of kindergartners to eighth graders are concerned about school security.

Details of the "ADT National Back-to-School Security Survey" were announced today during a news conference at an elementary school in the nation's capital.

Among the findings, nearly half of the respondents expressed concerns that a sexual predator could target their child while at school and more than a third have concerns that their child could be abducted by a stranger. A majority said they'd be willing to pay for additional security systems to help schools keep unwanted visitors off campuses.

"Through this survey, parents are making it clear they want local school boards to do more to protect children," said Patrick Fiel, ADT's public security advisor and a former head of security for Washington, D.C. Public Schools. "We need cooperation among adults and children, proper planning and more innovation to ensure that young students are as safe as possible."

Fiel offers the following six steps parents can take to help create safer schools:

-- Talk to your children about school security
-- Visit your child's campus and talk with an administrator about the school's security plan
-- Educate yourself on the plans, procedures and technologies working well at other schools
-- Get to know the law enforcement officials assigned to your child's school
-- Join other parents who may also be concerned about the security of their children

There are currently more than 500,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S., according to the National Alert Registry. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports more than 700 children are abducted each day.

"These numbers underscore the need for all stakeholders in education to help improve school safety," said Brad Dennis, director of search operations for the KlaasKids Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps stop crimes against children. "By forming and promoting partnerships with concerned parents and other citizens, we can become part of the solution to keep our kids safe."

SOURCE: ADT Security Services