PALOS VERDES FACES ATTEMPTED KIDNAPPING
According to Kids Save Lives, a kidnapping in the U.S. occurs every 40 seconds. Recently, there were reports of an attempted kidnapping in Palos Verdes. According to the Daily Breeze, two eleven-year-old boys stated that a man and a woman tried to force them into their vehicle while they were playing outside in their neighborhood after school. However, the boys did not comply and instead notified an adult who then called the police. Many locals are rightfully disturbed by these events. To ensure the safety of children, schools need to inform students of these dangers in further detail rather than assume that students are already completely aware of how to act in these situations. Furthermore, discussions regarding issues such as kidnapping should continue on into high school rather than stopping in elementary or middle school.
Schools currently only provide students with a general knowledge of what to do in dangerous situations. Students would be safer if schools spent more time discussing these issues in detail. Senior Ryhanna Atiqee has a younger sister currently enrolled at Ridgecrest Middle School. Atiquee feels that her sister has not been properly prepared by her school in the case of a serious situation such as the recent attempted kidnapping.
“My sister is very carefree, so I would actually be worried [about potential kidnappings],” Atiqee said. “Schools should have more assemblies and go more in depth. Students should be more informed about what could happen and know different ways to prevent being in danger.”
Some feel that schools do not need to have extensive talks about dangerous situations because it is already discussed enough within families. Senior Tyler Krambeer, who has a sister in elementary school, feels that his younger sister would be well-prepared if put into a similar scenario, despite the fact that her school has not spoken extensively to students about kidnappings.
“Even though my sister’s school do not have many discussions about safety, I do not think she would just blindly trust adults that came up to her,” Krambeer said. “My parents have talked to her about it before, and I feel like she should have enough common sense.”
However, solely relying on parental guidance should is not enough. While it is important that parents speak with their children about these situations, it is essential that schools reinforce these teachings. It is far better to repeat life-saving ideas rather than simply assume that everyone is already fully aware of potential threats.
Safety should also not just be emphasized to younger students, but to older ones as well. Any student could be involved in a dangerous situation. Schools should make a clear effort to educate students of all grade levels about how to react in dangerous situations such as kidnappings in order to ensure students’ safety.
“I think it is wrongly assumed that these kind of things only happen to younger kids,” Comparative Religions, Ethics, Advanced Philosophy and World History Honors teacher Mindy Webster said. “It can happen to anyone really. High schoolers are still young, and making sure that they know of all the other kinds of dangers they might face one day, not necessarily just kidnappings, could save their lives.”
