Commack School District is reporting that a student at Sawmill Intermediate School was approached by an unknown woman earlier this morning. According to the district, an adult female approached a female student as she was getting off of a mini-bus and asked her several personal questions, including her name, address, and teacher’s name.
The woman is described as blonde and having worn a red top; she did not make physical contact with the child and is not known to have confronted any other children.
The incident occurred in the side parking lot where other mini buses and parents were also dropping off their children before school started. After the student reported the incident, the Suffolk County Police Department was contacted and is presently engaged in an investigation.
For the time being, Commack has cancelled outdoor recess and placed additional security at each school in the district. All entrances and exits have been double checked to ensure safety, and staff has been reminded to be on the lookout and talk to students about “stranger danger.”
“Know that student and staff safety are our primary concern, and we are always actively working to assure their security,” the school stated in an e-mail to parents. “We ask that you speak with your child(ren) about ‘stranger danger’ and remind them that they should immediately report any incidents to an adult.”
To help parents and students stay safe, Commack School District has assembled a Safety Tips & Stranger Incident Page.
As more details and information become available, we will continue to update this story.