In response to The Groomers Running Our Public Schools — How they Groom the Girls (GraniteGrok, July 23, 2022), Ann Marie Banfield’s brilliant expose of Montgomery County, MD school policy regarding ‘Gender Separated Areas,’ first and foremost, I think everyone agrees that parents (or guardians) are 100% responsible for children’s health, safety, and well-being, and must make it their business to be aware of any school policies that possibly pose a threat to their children and act accordingly.
Further, parents must educate themselves to honestly determine if their children are vulnerable to solicitation by sexual predators no matter where they might appear, including in familial situations. Children must be educated to recognize and report warning signs directly to their parents (NOT to school counselors or administrative staff) and, unfortunately, about how to escape from difficult situations.
Parents must not allow adult persons whose backgrounds are unknown (especially any criminal history) to be alone with their kids under any circumstances. The same rings true for shared facilities in schools. Parents should heed school policy to request that their child be provided with an alternative arrangement.
As a former private investigator, I served as a child advocate and investigated suspicious persons attempting to groom parents to get close to their children. My “bibles” were materials published by the National Center for Missing Children written in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (Behavioral Science Unit), including Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis; For Law Enforcement Officers Investigating Cases of Sexual Exploitation:
Even just a quick read will scare responsible and possibly naive parents straight. Please pass this valuable information on for children’s safety.
Deborah Aylward is a native of Washington, D.C. who settled in Danbury, NH in 2006. She is running for State Representative as a Proud Republican in Merrimack County, District 5 (Andover, Danbury, Hill, Salisbury, and Webster).
