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Aggressive proselytizing in my neighborhood.

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
Yesterday I received the following letter from the principal of my daughters middle school.

I am in the process of finding what church in my neighborhood endorses this aggressive and threatening behavior towards children.


April 30, 2009

RMS Parents:

I am writing today in the interest of student safety. Recently, we have become aware of individuals who indicate they are from a local church have approached our students as they are walking to and from school. Our students have also been approached after-hours on our school grounds as well as in the neighborhood. Most recently, a 7th grade female student who was walking home on a neighborhood street was approached by one of these individuals and invited to get into a van.

Last week, representatives from our RMS team met with the leader of this church to request that they refrain from interacting with our students as they are coming and going from school. Since this request has not resulted in improvement in the situation, we feel the need to inform our parents that this activity continues and unfortunately, has escalated.

Clearly, we are most concerned about these incidents. We have engaged highly qualified assistance of our district leadership and school safety personnel as well as the Colorado Springs Police Department. We are highly concerned that, during the most recent incident, a student was invited to get into a vehicle. The reports we have received commonly involve a van, both a large van and a regular-sized van, and an SUV-style vehicle, typically with several people traveling together.

As always, we are reminding students that it is best to walk
directly from home to school and to refrain from engaging with strangers while en route. Certainly, students should NEVER get into a vehicle with individuals they do not know or go anywhere without their parents' direct permission. These general safety guidlines are always sound advice and, particularly at this time, they remain a good safety practice.

Parents, we encourage you to discuss with your children how you wish for them to handle the situation if they should be aproached by people they do not know. We appreciate partnering with you to keep all our students safe while at scholl and on their way to and from school every day. If you should have any questions, please call me at ***-****. We are here to serve you.

Sincerely,
J****** K*** S******
Principal
Russel Middle School
 

eugenius

The Truth Lies Within
very very creepy and angering

with the history the church has with child molestation and manipulation, I would have a HUGE problem with this. Preying on children is evil and unnecessary.

Disgusting behaviour.
 

J Bryson

Well-Known Member
That's abhorrent. I can't even picture the more intense and literal Christians here agreeing with this practice. Which church is this?
 

DallasApple

Depends Upon My Mood..
I would advise ALL students to write down the liscense plates #'s..Send a memo to the STUDENTS and the PARENTS(to inform their children) to record liscense plates #'s of anyone inviting them into a car.Period.

Love

Dallas
 
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DallasApple

Depends Upon My Mood..
Parents, we encourage you to discuss with your children how you wish for them to handle the situation if they should be aproached by people they do not know. We appreciate partnering with you to keep all our students safe while at scholl and on their way to and from school every day.

Discuss writing down plate #'s of cars inviting children into them..Again ..write down plate #'s..

Love

Dallas
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
Yes, I have told my daughter to note plates. I Took a little tour this morning around a few churches to see about a couple of vans and an SUV. No luck yet, and the principle refuses to let me know what church they spoke too. Very frustrating.
 

Kilgore Trout

Misanthropic Humanist
I don't understand what the problem is. If they're associated with a church, they must be good people. I wouldn't worry about it. In fact, I'd feel better knowing that they were out there because it might deter nutjobs who stalk children from tricking them into getting into vans with strangers.
 

Apex

Somewhere Around Nothing
Yes, I have told my daughter to note plates. I Took a little tour this morning around a few churches to see about a couple of vans and an SUV. No luck yet, and the principle refuses to let me know what church they spoke too. Very frustrating.
Keep bugging the principal. Eventually he will have to give you a name.
 

Trey of Diamonds

Well-Known Member
I could see Phelps doing something like this but not many others. Sounds like a very scary situation. Best of luck and keep us posted.
 

DallasApple

Depends Upon My Mood..
Yes, I have told my daughter to note plates. I Took a little tour this morning around a few churches to see about a couple of vans and an SUV. No luck yet, and the principle refuses to let me know what church they spoke too. Very frustrating.

There are LOTS of vans and SuV's I drive an SUV and Im not luring children into my car..Get a plate # and CALL the police..Driving around church parking lots isnt how to handle it.Get a plate # and call the police.REPORT that a stranger with this plate # tried to lure my minor child into their vehicle.If you are talking about 6th and 7th graders they are perfectly capable of nothing a liscnece plate# if you scare them bad enough and drill it in their head how important it is..That is what I would do.

Love

Dallas
 
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Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
As Dallas suggests. the local police or sheriff should be notified as well as the local news agency of whats going on. It's not so much the proselytizing as to the invitations from presumably strange adults who invite children into their van raises a serious red flag in the safety dept. It's a terrible lack of common sense and judgement on the churches part as to their methodology. -NM-
 

DallasApple

Depends Upon My Mood..
It's not so much the proselytizing as to the invitations from presumably strange adults who invite children into their van raises a serious red flag in the safety dept.

Exactly...I dont care who it is..

Love

Dallas
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
There are LOTS of vans and SuV's I drive an SUV and Im not luring children into my car..Get a plate # and CALL the police..Driving around church parking lots isnt how to handle it.Get a plate # and call the police.REPORT that a stranger with this plate # tried to lure my minor child into their vehicle.If you are talking about 6th and 7th graders they are perfectly capable of nothing a liscnece plate# if you scare them bad enough and drill it in their head how important it is..That is what I would do.

Love

Dallas
I meant looking for the van that matches a description my daughter gave me. Just to identify the church. As noted in the letter, the police are already involved. And my daughter has a notepad in her pocket today strictly for the plate numbers.
 

DallasApple

Depends Upon My Mood..
I meant looking for the van that matches a description my daughter gave me. Just to identify the church. As noted in the letter, the police are already involved. And my daughter has a notepad in her pocket today strictly for the plate numbers.

O.K and what exactly are you going to do when you find the "matching van"?What are you going to do when "you " or "if" you identify the "church"?

Sounds like the school already knows...and I assume they have forwarded the info to the police..

What is your plan Stan?

Love

Dallas
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
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