‘Stranger danger’ warning sent to parents at 2 Vancouver schools
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VANCOUVER, WA (KPTV) — Families of two Vancouver schools were warned by administrators Wednesday of a couple of separate, but similar, reports of stranger danger.
According to a letter sent home to parents, the most recent scare came around 3:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon, while a young female student waited for her ride home right across the street from Jason Lee Middle School on Northwest 9th Avenue.
The girl reported a woman pulled up in a car and claimed the student’s grandmother had sent her to pick up the young girl. But, according to the district letter, it was a favor that the student’s real relatives never asked for.
“We don’t know what the woman’s intentions were,” said parent Jen Gregson. “I grew up in this neighborhood. And it was a shock to hear that it was so close to home.”
In the letter to parents, the school district offered a description of the woman that approached the young girl.
It identified her as a white or Hispanic woman, about 50 years old, with gray and white, medium-length hair. She had a medium build and wore a black hoodie, wedding ring, and dark framed glasses with silver arms. The car she drove was reportedly an early 90s, tan Toyota Camry with tinted windows.
“Almost like a grandmother-type figure, and it’s very deceiving,” said Gregson.
School officials said a similar scare also happened on Jan. 14. The reported suspect was also a woman – but drove a white minivan.
No additional details were released surrounding the earlier incident.
The district said law enforcement was contacted, and parents at both Jason Lee and nearby Eisenhower Elementary have been notified.
Part of the notification asked parents to review “stranger danger” and personal safety guidelines with their children.
Gregson said her approach with her son is to use a “safety word.”
“And if they don’t say the certain word – the ‘safety word’ – then he’s like, ‘No’, and he knows to go get help,” she said.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the school district contacted them about the incidents and deputies are investigating.
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