Mr. Mayor the story of JonBenet has rasised many questions in my head about our School Teachers. Before hiring Teachers, School Bus Drivers, Crossing Guards, and Subsitutes does the Washinton County Board of Education do a complete back ground check?

Being a Parent myself, it's very hard putting my Child in another person's hands, this also goes for Sunday School Teachers, Girls club ( i don't have a girl ), and Boy's club. I did a research on sex offenders in Hagerstown, there was twelve sex offenders very close to Winter Street School. I find this very scary ! In today's society Children are rasied with both Parents working. We the Parents can go over and over the do's and don'ts of the villanous people of the world we live in today, but a Child is so trusting and vigorious they feel invincible.

My Son is almost seven. When i explain the do's and don'ts too him i make it simple. I do NOT want to instill fear in him. But how the world has changed seens i was a young Child is unbelieveable..

Thank You

I'm sure they do. It would be borderline criminal negligence for them NOT to.

But as others have said, it's not so much the few pervs they've caught that you have to worry about as it is the ones that nobody knows about and who have no criminal records yet.

I know how you feel. I still have son in HS and I worry about him everyday, but for probably other reasons.
We are going to have a presentation during a council meeting about how to look up information in our area.
Hopefully that will give some parents a little peace of mind. I know it's not much, but it's what is available.
The County does do a pretty good job of backround checks on it's personnel, all of them.
So, I feel fairly confident that we are semi-safe.
Hope that gives you some comfort.

Mr. Mayor,

Will you please let me know when this council meeting is going to be held?Mr. Mayor Please don't feel it isn't enough every little bit of information leads People like myself to dig deeper. I'm very interested in learning how to keep the Children of our Community safe. I'm very head strong on this issue. I would love to make a difference, i just don't know how to begin.

But now I'm wondering, if the background checks they do on all personnel. Would that only be in the state their be working in, Or do they do a background check in all 50 states? Sexual Offenders, do tend to travel from state to state.

No need to worry 24/7. Your drive yourself nuts doing so. Best thing to do, is to keep talking with your children. And teaching them, what's right and what's wrong. Keep a eye out for odd behavior. No one knows your child better then it's mother.

That's true B, it the one's that don't have criminal records yet. After all a child molester, don't usually get caught right away. It's scary knowing we have over 100 sexual offenders, just in Washington County.

Sweets,

Very good point.

The best thing you could do is contact the Board of Ed and voice your concerns to them, I am sure they would be more than eager to let you know what they do to help keep our childre safe in school.

It's not just in School. I stress the fact that most Parents both have too work. The Crossing guards and Bus drivers are the threat here. If the Board of Education doesn't have a complete back ground of the Crossing guards or Bus drivers they see alot more than a Teacher.

The Crossing guards see the Children everyday walking home. Being hypothectically what if the Crossing guard was a sex affender he/she would scope out the Children who walked alone or if the Child lived near the School the Crossing guard would see the Child/Children who goes in their Home Alone.

As for the Bus drivers, being hypothectically once more. They see where the Children live. I feel if the Board of Education does do a full back ground check, and finger print. The next question is, do the finger prints go to the FBI? If so, does the FBI keep them in a file?

I stress the fact that i'm just trying to give exsamples of what can happen, maybe some of you feel i'm going over the edge here, but let me give one more exsample.

We the Parents teach our Child/Children to TRUST Police Officers for their safty if they was to get lost, hurt, ect. Than we have Mr. Shiffler. Yes Mr. Shiffler made threats not only to City Hall, Former Officers. He also made Threats too the Schools in our Community. What message did Mr. Shiffler put in Childrens minds? I feel the answer to this question is plain and simple. It put's a RED flag in Childrens minds. " Hey my Parents told me if i ever get lost in a Store, or Hurt in anyway to trust the Police for my saftey" Now the Children in High School it sends a RED Flag. But they might play it cool " Well heck we got out of School for an hour " But the Red Flag is there.

I also want to stress the fact Mr. Shiffler NEVER went through with any of his threats! ( fact ) But if he wasn't caught, the question that comes to my mind and many others. Would Mr. Shiffler in due time act out his threats? This is a question only Mr. Shiffler can answer.

Please know bring Mr. Shiffler up i'm not judging/picking. I'm just trying to express the fact that the People in the World we teach our Child/Children too Trust can't alway's be trusted.

Just my opinion..........

What are you going to do? A background check on every person in your neighborhood? Oh yeah, some types actually do that.

IMO you can't live your life like that. You've got to trust that most of the really dangerous ones are locked up, and teach your kids basic safety rules. And pray. I choose to live out in the more rural areas, in a neighborhood where I know there are some stay-at-home moms who tend to look out for everyone. Though of course I know that no place is perfectly safe.

B,

AMEN !





BMIC,

I never said too do a background check on every person in my/yours, or anybodies neighborhood. I don't know where you got that at...

That is a unrealistic thought.

Unfortunately we can never prepare our kids or ourselves for all the unseen boogey men in world, we can only hope that what we teach them, they retain some of and know what to do and when to do it.

Your right B, no place is perfectly safe. Like I said before, if you worry to much. You drive yourself nuts.

I was just wondering, what kind of background check that do. On all personal that work around children in the school. Plus the bus driver & crossing guards.

In my heart, I do believe the School Board does the best they can. Making sure all children as safe as possible in school. Only trouble I had was my children getting picked on by Bully's. Other then that, I have no complaints. The school is usually quick about taking care of matter like that.

I think this is Unbelieveable only child, I could be wrong. So we need to give her a break. Maybe she should call the School Board, unbelieveable might feel better doing that. As a mother myself, I'm also very protective of my children. Lord knows, I wouldn't want any harm, to come to them. My saying goes like this, " If you mess with my children, Your messing with me and you don't want to mess with me! "

Sweets,

Your right he is my only Child. It's so hard too put him in a strangers hands.

Than this John Karr, all this man did and still got a job as a Teacher. This flips me out !

All parents need to worry about Hagerstown. Last year, there were a few perves, trying to pick up children last year. Just keep a eye out for the unusual. Don't hesitate to report what you see.

Maybe I'm naive, but I have to believe they aren't waiting for us to ask in the local newspaper's forums before doing proper and very thorough background checks of all public employees who interact with children on the job. Surely the WCPS is not so incredibly negligent!

No matter what you do you cannot keep your child from harm.I believe the best defense is to teach your children at a very young age what to to in dangerous situations.(ie if touched inappropiately to go to an adult they trust,if approched by a stranger yell no & run & tell someone you trust.)It does the child or you no good to constantly worry about harm coming to your child.As a child gets older they will be more independent but you cannot let your own fears hold him back.Background checks are a good measure for prevention ,but as B pointed out not all potental pedophiles,abductors,etc. will have a criminal record.