Fake teacher showed up at Arizona child’s home to take her to school
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) – A Phoenix elementary school is reminding parents that it does not send teachers or staffers to pick up students.
The principal of Westwood Elementary School sent a letter to parents Monday in response to an unusual incident one family experienced Monday morning.
According to Theresa Killingsworth’s letter, a man posing as a Westwood teacher knocked on the door of the family’s home and told them he was there to take their daughter to school.
“The person was described as a tall, chubby, brown-skinned Hispanic male with a beard, wearing glasses, and speaking Spanish,” Killingsworth wrote.
Killingsworth said teachers are not tasked with escorting kids to school. She also explained that administers might occasionally visit a student’s home, but it’s always a planned visit, and the administrator will show identification.
“If someone comes to your house unannounced and offers to take your child to school, please do not send your child with this person,” she wrote. “Again, our staff will not come to students’ homes and offer to take them to school.”
Her advice, should a parent encounter such a situation, is to get some information from the individual, including his or her name, and then call the Phoenix Police Department at 602-262-6151.
The warning is clear: “[D]o not allow your child(ren) to leave the house with someone you do not know,” Killingsworth said.
If you have any questions about the school’s policies and procedures, particularly about home visits, please call the school at 602-242-2442.
Killingsworth sent home another letter Tuesday after “a suspicious man tried to lure a neighborhood girl into his vehicle this morning on the way to school.
The principal provided a description of the person — an Asian man in his 30s driving a white truck with the word “Royal” on the back — as well as safety suggestions for parents and children.
The letter was similar to one she sent home after another luring incident on March 27.
The suspect in that case is a man with brown skin and black hair. He was wearing black gloves with red palms and driving a two-door tan car with a black grill
Part of the Alhambra Elementary School District, Westwood Elementary is a K-4 school with an enrollment of roughly 900.