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‘Stranger Danger’ incident prompts CCISD Police to warn parents

Posted at 3:39 PM, Jan 30, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-30 19:46:21-05

A Sanders Elementary School student had a scary encounter on Monday.  CCISD Police says a woman approached a female student near the playground where she was playing hide and seek with other kids when she was approached by an unknown woman. The woman reportedly told the student the parents had given her permission to pick up the child to go to a birthday party.  The woman never touched the girl.  The student immediately told her mom who then reported the incident to the school.

CCISD Police are warning about the importance of parents talking to their children about stranger danger.  Chief Warnke says parents should remind their children to always be on the lookout. If a stranger approaches them, do not engage in conversation, and always tell a trusted adult about the incident.

He also recommends discussing code words, in case some someone you do not know tries to pick up your child.

“Mom and Dad can have some kind of code word system and say ‘hey, your dad told me to come get you.’ They say the code word, then you know it’s legit,” said Chief Warnke.

Children should try and travel in groups to and from home and always let their parents know where they’re at.

Warnke adds staff at Sanders Elementary School did the right thing by immediately alerting the community about what happened, and he hopes the community learned from this incident too.

“Don’t communicate with our kids if you’re not their parent,” said Chief Warnke. “Don’t offer anyone rides. You’re just going to scare them and create an alarm.”

CCISD Police were called to the school immediately after the incident.  The only description of the woman who approached the student so far is that she is blonde.

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Letter from CCISD elementary school to parents warning of ‘Stranger Danger’ incident.