Election Day Poses School Safety Concerns

www.schoolsecurity.org

ELECTION DAY POSES SCHOOL SAFETY CONCERNS
Expert says massive voter turnout and high emotions add to safety concerns.

The November 4th General Election, with massive voter turnout and high emotions, adds to already existing potential school security threats including non-custodial parents, sexual predators and others with ill intentions who might want to get access to schools, according to Kenneth Trump, a national school safety expert.

"It makes no sense that schools spends millions and millions of dollars on controlling school access throughout the school year only to open their doors a couple times a year to anyone and everyone without really knowing who is in their buildings," says Kenneth Trump, President of the Cleveland (Ohio)-based National School Safety and Security Services.

Trump, who has advocated for years to move polling places out of schools to other places in the community, notes that a small, but growing, number of communities have done so. Many schools instead designate Election Day as a professional development day for teachers while students stay home.

But many schools remain open for both education and polling, Trump says. Voters add to traffic congestion at student drop-off and pick-up, overloaded school parking lots, and strangers wandering around schools.

The expected large turnout for the 2008 Presidential Election, and the heightened emotions and polarization associated with this year's election, only heightens existing school safety concerns, according to Trump.

"Permanently moving polling places out of schools to other locations in the community is very prudent considering best practices taken to improve school access control in the past decade. Unfortunately, many elected officials and school districts fear political resistance by some voters in their communities, and have dodged the issue. Sadly, it will probably take a high-profile national tragedy to bring about this needed change on a large scale nationally," Trump said.

Sex offender charged with loitering near school

A 38-year-old registered sex offender is facing charges of loitering near a school and resisting police.

Norton Shores police arrested Jeffrey Thomas Partlow, of 68 E. Lincoln, Muskegon Heights, at his parents' home on Wednesday.

Norton Shores Detective Tony Nanna said a school bus stop also is three houses down from the parents' home.

Partlow previously had been warned about being in the area of the middle school and Campbell Elementary School, 1355 Greenwich, in Roosevelt Park, police said.

Norton Shores police contacts with Partlow, who has a 2000 conviction in West Virginia for indecent acts with a child, began last December. Nanna said Partlow was told he could visit his parents, but couldn't walk around the neighborhood.

"Multiple kids in the neighborhood would see him watching in the window as they got off and on the bus." -- Norton Shores Detective Tony Nanna.

Hazelwood district system helps flag sex offenders

If you visit any school in the Hazelwood School District, a secretary or security officer likely will greet you with a smile. But they'll also ask for your drivers license.

They need to check it against a national database to see if you're a sex offender.

Smart Check 3 is the name of the new security system, set up this year in all 32 Hazelwood school sites. Secretaries and security officers scan visitor's drivers licenses in a card reader that is connected to a computer, which then runs the name through the U.S. Department of Justice's national clearinghouse of state sex offender registries.

"That's very cool. I think it's a great idea," said Sharman Mitchell, a book company representative, as she waited for the computer to scan her name one recent morning at Armstrong Elementary. "I think it's good to protect kids."

TEN THINGS PARENTS CAN DO TO MAKE HALLOWEEN SAFER

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Tells Parents How They Can Build Safety into Halloween this Year

• CHOOSE bright, flame-retardant costumes or add reflective tape to costumes and candy bags so children are easily seen in the dark. In addition, carry a glow stick or flashlight.
• PLAN a trick-or-treating route in familiar neighborhoods with well-lit streets. Avoid unfamiliar neighborhoods, streets that are isolated, or homes that are poorly lit inside or outside.
• NEVER send young children out alone. They should always be accompanied by a parent or another trusted adult. Older children should always travel in groups.
• ALWAYS walk younger children to the door to receive treats and don’t let children enter a home unless you are with them.
• BE SURE children do not approach any vehicle, occupied or not, unless you are with them.
• DISCUSS basic pedestrian safety rules that children should use when walking to and from houses.
• CONSIDER organizing a home or community party as an alternative to “trick-or-treating.”
• MAKE sure children know their home phone number and address in case you get separated. Teach children how to call 911 in an emergency.
• TEACH children to say “NO!” or “this is not my mother/father” in a loud voice if someone tries to get them to go somewhere, accept anything other than a treat, or leave with them. And teach them that they should make every effort to get away by kicking, screaming and resisting.
• REMIND children to remain alert and report suspicious incidents to parents and/or law enforcement.

“Child safety is important year round, but Halloween is an especially important time for parents and children to pay extra attention to their surroundings and not let their guard down,” said Nancy McBride, National Safety Director of NCMEC. “It is important that parents exercise a few basic safety precautions to help ensure that Halloween is both fun and safe.”

State schools chief pushes for sex offender law

State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex renewed his call for a law that would stiffen the penalty for school employees who have sex with students, according to a statement his office released Monday.
Rex also is urging the Legislature to raise the age of consent from 16 to 18 years old for students who have sex with a school employee or volunteer.

"Though there are just a few of these incidents, it's always an outrage when one of our children is put in harm's way," Rex said.

Schools to run sex offender checks on volunteers

The Greenville County school district plans to start running the names of parents through the state sex offender registry to weed out potential predators who might volunteer in schools, district officials said Tuesday.

Parents who don't want their name checked can opt out by telling their child's principal they don't want to be considered for any volunteer work, said Burke Royster, deputy superintendent for operations.

The State Law Enforcement Division keeps records of people convicted of all types of crimes in South Carolina and charges $8 per check, Royster said. The district already runs SLED checks on volunteer coaches and is talking to legislators about gaining free access to SLED's database for use on all school volunteers, he said.

The district will use information already in its database about parents and guardians to check their names against the sex offender database, which is available free to the public online.

Man assaulted girl on visit to middle school

A 34-year-old man is accused of grabbing a 13-year-old girl from a Coble Middle School hallway two weeks ago and sexually assaulting her in a women’s locker room, Arlington police reported on Friday.

Wright was a visitor at the school, he is the father of a student there. School officials said.

"I didn’t want to believe it at first," said Sheryl Levels, who was picking up her child. "You feel sad for the [girl]. It just tells you that you can’t protect them. You want to feel like they are safe at school, but they are not."

Police Watch Out For Sexual Predator Around Schools

Pocatello Police issued a warning Wednesday about a possible danger wandering School District 25 school grounds. Parents and teachers received notice of a pedophile that is possibly posing a threat.

Officers are very concerned by 53-year-old Scott Cutler Carlson. In fact sources with District 25 say D.A.R.E officers told them it's not a matter of if Carlson will offend again but when.

Carlson is classified as a violent sexual predator after being convicted of two counts of lewd conduct with a child under 16 back in 1993.

Girl Sexually Assaulted at School Bus Stop

A 28-year-old sex offender assaulted a 12-year-old girl as she walked to her school bus Wednesday morning, police said.

Officers said the incident happened on Dalecrest Drive in north Charlotte around 8:16 a.m. after the girl got off a city bus. They said the child, a sixth-grader at James Martin Middle School, had recently moved and had to take the city bus to get to her old Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bus stop. Police said they believe the suspect, Marcus Kennedy, followed her off the city bus.

Aurora districts on alert for man canvassing schools

Staffers at two southwest Missouri school districts have been alerted to watch for a man who told Mount Vernon police last week he wanted to lure a child to his truck, but the school superintendents said publicity about the man likely has scared him away from the area.

The man went to three Mount Vernon schools last Tuesday and to one school Wednesday, Mount Vernon Superintendent Russ Cruzan said.

The man used the same story about wanting to enroll several children from Germany when he went to two Aurora schools on Thursday, Superintendent Dale Slagle said.

CHILD SAFETY HANDBOOK

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Duracell are partnering for the third consecutive year through the Power of Parents child safety program to arm families with important new information about school year safety. According to new data released today from NCMEC, most abduction attempts occur after-school, between the hours of 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.1 Almost half of non-family abduction attempts happen when a child is walking to or from school or a related school activity.2 NCMEC also found that the overwhelming majority of children affected by abduction attempts are young girls (74 percent) between the ages of 10 and 14 years old. As 56 million students grades K through 12 are beginning their school year, it is more important than ever for families to take the time to have important safety discussions.

To help parents guide the conversation with their children, NCMEC and Duracell have expanded their child safety resource portfolio with the addition of a new, free Child Safety Handbook. The handbookhas been developed for parents of children who are infant through high school ages. It is available on www.powerofparentsonline.com.