Warning Letter To Parents In Abington School District

A letter was sent jointly by the Abington School District and the Abington Township Police Department to parents of children in the school district yesterday regarding two recent suspicious incidents at or near area elementary schools.

A few of the key points from the letter:

“We encourage you to continue to discuss with your children what they should do if approached by a stranger. The following are important tips and strategies for children to protect themselves:

  • Know your name, address, and phone number.
  • Use the buddy system – avoid walking anywhere alone.
  • Trust your instincts – if you feel you are being followed or something is not right, seek help immediately.
  • If a stranger approaches you, you do not have to speak to him or her.  Never approach a stranger in a motor vehicle.  Just keep walking. Do not accept candy or any other items from a stranger.  Never walk off with a stranger no matter what he or she tells you.
  • If someone is following you, try to remember the license plate of his/her vehicle and immediately tell a trusted adult.
  • If a stranger grabs you, do everything you can to stop him/her from pulling you away or dragging you into his/her car.  Drop to the ground, kick, hit, bite, and scream. Do whatever it takes to attract the attention of others who can help you. If someone is dragging you away, scream, ‘this is not my dad,’ or ‘this is not my mom.’

While sharing the above tips with your child is extremely important, the best way to teach stranger danger lessons is through role-playing scenarios. Discuss situations with your child and ask ‘if this happened, what would you do?'”

You can read the entire letter by clicking here.

 

The image of the school attendance map is provided courtesy of the Abington School District, 2018.