March 22, 2013
School superintendents from the Lansing Central School District and Groton Central School sent letters to parents this week alerting them that a white male in his early twenties driving a blue sedan has slowed his car or approached elementary school students.
Lansing acting superintendent Chris Pettograsso says a white man driving a blue sedan stopped and attempted to speak with an elementary school student who was waiting for the bus near Collins Road in Freeville. The student's mother, who was waiting nearby in her car until her child was picked up, opened her car door to approach her child, and the man drove off.
Dr. Pettograsso sent another letter to parents Thursday after the district received reports that a white man in his early twenties driving a blue sedan slowed down and followed a Lansing Elementary student walking along Goodman Road in Groton for a little while, before driving away.
The district also received a report of a white man getting out of a blue sedan and approaching two children at the Lansing Town Park on Wednesday afternoon. When one of the children used a cell phone to call a parent, the man walked away.
Groton superintendent James Abrams sent a similar letter to parents on Thursday. Drs. Abrams and Pettograsso ask area residents to be alert and to contact the schools or the Tompkins County Sheriff's Department if they see suspicious behavior. Dr. Pettograsso says the incidents are a reminder for parents to teach their kids how to deal with strangers, and to make them aware of the descriptions of this particular person and vehicle. He suggests children should walk in pairs, or should not be left alone to wait for the bus.
