Flasher Alert! Edison Playground
FLASHER REPORTED AT EDISON
Although SUNA takes pride in being a safe community we are not immune to the problems that dog neighborhoods everywhere. Sadly we have had a report of a flasher in the first weeks of 2010. Tom Maloney, Principal of Edison Elementary School sent home this note to Edison Parents which outlines steps the school has taken to date and encourages us all to heighten our safety awareness:
I wanted to let you know about a situation that occurred at Edison on Tuesday, January 26 during the 1st/ 2nd grade afternoon recess period. Three students reported seeing a man expose himself while standing on the sidewalk on east 23rd street. The students were playing on the playground near the fence line when the man got their attention and intentionally exposed himself. The students ran towards the building and the man rode east on his bicycle.
After school was dismissed, one of the students informed their parent, who in turn informed me that a man had exposed himself to them during their afternoon recess. I met with the students on Wednesday morning then reported the incident to the Eugene Police Department. Officer Stefan Zeltvay interviewed the students and assured them that they did the right thing by talking to an adult about strangers who act in inappropriate ways. He also encouraged and reinforced Edison’s policy of telling the nearest adult if you see a stranger on school grounds or a stranger behaving in an inappropriate manner.
Needless to say the incident has heightened our awareness concerning stranger awareness and student safety at Edison. We take a great deal of pride in the quality and level of supervision offered our students, however we plan to conduct a thorough review of our current supervision practices. We are particularly interested in reviewing supervision and safety practices at drop off and pick up times and in the immediate areas surrounding Edison School.
On Thursday, January 28th we informed the entire student body that three students witnessed a man on the sidewalk on 23rd street behaving “inappropriately” We applauded the students for reporting the incident to their parents and encouraged students to notify the nearest staff member if they see a stranger on school grounds or if they witness an adult behaving inappropriately. In addition each classroom teacher followed up with an age appropriate discussion focusing on stranger awareness and student safety.
In summary here is how we responded to the incident:
* Filed a formal report with the Eugene Police Department
* Increased Police presence around Edison School and the Edison Neighborhood
* Informed the Edison student body and Edison families that the incident occurred
* Reviewed and discussed stranger awareness procedures with all classes K-5
* Will conduct a thorough review of our existing supervision plan
Please take a few minutes to discuss stranger awareness and general safety precautions with you child and don’t hesitate to call or e-mail me if you have questions or concerns.
541.790.8900, maloney@4j.lane.edu
Sincerely,
Tom Maloney