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Park Elementary's principal addresses reports of strangers
Students said they've been approached on playground, streets
Herald Staff Writer
Stranger danger tips for parents
- Tell children to never get in cars unless parents personally tell them.
- Remind children that adults should not be asking children for help. Adults should be asking adults.
- Children should yell or scream if a stranger tries to take them away. Parents can help children develop a “special yell” that is long and loud.
- When possible, parents should wait with their children at the bus stop.
"I'm not going to let a kid get taken from our playground," said Cooper, whose son attends preschool at Park. "No way. I'm out there every day. We've got teachers out there everyday. That's not something I'm going to let happen."
The staff at Park Elementary has been placed on high alert, and volunteer parents are helping with extra supervision during student dismissal times. Cooper said details about the recent reports are on file with the Durango Police Department.
One child at Park Elementary reported being asked by an adult male through the school's playground fence to leave with him. About four days later, a different child reported a similar story.
Two Park students also reported a woman in a silver sedan pulled over while the children were walking in the Durango West II neighborhood and asked if they needed a ride to school.
In response to the reports, Cooper sent parents a letter asking them to empower their children by discussing the danger of strangers, and included some suggested discussion topics. The letter was dated Nov. 6 and went to the parents of Park's approximately 450 students.
Though Cooper says he's "nervous" about the threat, he thinks the odds are long that an active child predator is stalking Durango streets.
The episodes, he said, provide an opportunity for him and his staff to review and revise safety procedures, and to raise awareness among parents that Durango, in spite of some popular assumptions, is still an urban environment, susceptible to many of the same crime problems as larger towns and cities.
Since Cooper sent the letter, parents have been running down rumors about the reports. He said some parents called him after hearing stories that children at Park were grabbed by strangers and even that children were carried away. One person e-mailed the Herald asking about reports of a man with different colored eyes attempting to get a child at Park Elementary to return with him to his van.
To address parent concerns, Cooper cleared the schedule of a pre-arranged parent-teacher meeting Monday at Park to discuss safety issues. About 50 parents, 10 teachers and representatives from the Durango Police Department, School District 9-R and city of Durango attended the meeting. Park's playground is operated jointly with the city's Department of Parks and Recreation. Cooper said the meeting was emotional.
"A lot of parents never dreamed that this could happen in a town like this," he said.
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Durango Herald Calendar of Events
Sunday, November 22, 2009
at 10:35:19 AM
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southside parent says...
thank u to the reader who posted some clear information on this subject. i would appreciate the herald reporting as clear a description as possible of the person + accounts of what happened. this does not only impact the park elementary students but all the families in the neighborhood with preschool aged children or home schooled children as well as families in the durango area! if your child does not go to park, the herald is an important daily means of getting information! hopefully the herald or telegraph will follow up with an informative article about the incident + as detailed a description as possible of the person so the community can watch out for him [in addition to your report on the parent meeting & just what is happening at park elementary]. perhaps park elementary could host a community meeting would if there is no further info in the news? if any1 has 1st hand information please contact the herald or telegraph & encourage an article so all parents are as well informed as possible.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
at 12:51:21 PM
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lets hope the texans pull their weight says...
I was and am disappointed that this matter is not taking higher priority by the community & school district. Durango police department should be surrounding the school and Parks & Rec should allow this park to be CLOSED during school hours, until the school district figures out the details. I am sure the community would support this matter. Although it seems that the schools principal is taking steps in the right direction, security measures need to be taken NOW! Not tomorrow, not january, NOW! Durango needs to wake up! There are predators out there, this is too close for comfort!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
at 12:50:34 PM
Suggest removal
lets hope the texans pull their weight says...
I was and am disappointed that this matter is not taking higher priority by the community & school district. Durango police department should be surrounding the school and Parks & Rec should allow this park to be CLOSED during school hours, until the school district figures out the details. I am sure the community would support this matter. Although it seems that the schools principal is taking steps in the right direction, security measures need to be taken NOW! Not tomorrown, not january, NOW! Durango needs to wake up! There are predators out there, this is too close for comfort!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
at 10:43:36 AM
Suggest removal
Maria Quintana says...
It is no rumor that a child was grabbed on the arm by a man with one "whitish eye" and one normal eye. I know the child's family and she was indeed grabbed as the man attempted to pull her over the Park fence and stated profanities to her. He then threatened the life of her family when she got away. While the school is now trying to deal with this situation, they took too long to alert parents. It is harmful to down-play the seriousness of what happened, and to deny that an active child predator is stalking the streets of Durango. It is a dis-service to the accosted child to sweep it under the rug.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
at 8:19:32 AM
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downtown_dro says...
As a current Park Elementary parent, I have seen tremendous support of the school, its programs, its teachers, and its principal from students' parents. In my experience, having 50 people show up (on a moment's notice) to discuss a situation like this is really a great response. I have complete confidence in the Park Elementary community, the Durango Police, and, most of all, Scott Cooper in keeping our school safe.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
at 7:50:19 AM
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DAVID LOPEZ says...
I AM A FORMER DURANGO RESIDENT AND PARK SCHOOL STUDENT .WITH 450 STUDENTS AND ONLY 50 PARENTS SHOWED UP TO DISCUSS THE SAFETY OF THIER CHILDERN. THE SCHOOL NEEDS BETTER SUPPORT IN THIS MATTER .