January 4, 2012
In the wake of a pair of incidents last month that raised concerns about child safety, Ithaca City School District officials and Ithaca Police Department officers are hosting a community forum this Thursday evening at the Beverly J. Martin Elementary School. The 6:30pm forum will be held in the school gym.
Beverly J. Martin Elementary School. 14850 file photo.Dr. Lesli C. Myers, ICSD Assistant Superindendent of Student Services, told 14850 Today in December that the school district must "capitalize on these teachable moments" by helping parents learn effective ways to teach their kids about safety in age-appropriate ways that won't scare the kids.
One of the two mid-December incidents had in fact involved an acquaintance of the child's family, and "no crime or attempted crime took place." In the other incident, a "dark-skinned African-American female" pedestrian approached a child in the area of Madison and First Streets. That incident is still presumed to have been an attempt to abduct the eight-year-old boy who was approached. IPD asks that anyone with information contact them at 607-272-3245 or 607-272-9973, and urges the public to contact police immediately regarding any suspicious activity.
Dr. Myers points to resources at Kidpower, which makes a point of stressing that the term "stranger danger" itself can be unnecessarily alarming, adding that "Most people are good. This means that most strangers are good." Kidpower offers a number of tips for "teaching kids to be safe without making them scared." Additional resources are available from the National Crime Prevention Council and its McGruff the Crime Dog program.
