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Grandmother urges Prince Edward board to strengthen student safety after two incidents involving her grandson
Summary
A public commenter told the board her grandson encountered two adults near school property in separate incidents and urged the district to change procedures to keep children from crossing public parking areas or interacting with unknown adults.
Eugena Lomax, a Prince Edward County resident, told the school board she is concerned about student safety after two incidents involving her grandson that she said occurred on or near school property.
“Why are the children at risk of crossing a public parking lot?” Lomax asked the board. She said one incident involved her grandson being sent from a classroom in a modular trailer to the office to pick up referrals; while going across a public parking lot he encountered a woman in a car who called to him. Lomax said her grandson “rang the bell to get into the office,” spoke with office staff and was told he had done the right thing for coming inside.
Lomax said a separate incident occurred at a bus landing where a person showed her grandson pictures of children. She told the board the child reported the images were of children and said “I freaked out because I wanna know, like, who was the woman.” Lomax pressed the board to eliminate situations that require children to cross public areas to retrieve materials or otherwise be exposed to passerby contact.
Why it matters: Lomax framed the matter as a safety risk that could “have turned up completely, horribly wrong.” She urged the board to adopt procedural changes so students are not asked to cross public parking areas or interact with unknown adults to retrieve school documents.
Board response and follow-up: The chair indicated staff would “follow-up in writing.” The transcript records the board thanking Lomax and noting the superintendent would provide a follow-up response on behalf of the board per the public-comment guidelines shared at the meeting.
What was not stated: The transcript does not specify the names of the staff members who spoke with the child in the office, the identity or role of the woman in the car, or any immediate policy changes. The board did not take formal action on the matter at the meeting but recorded a commitment to follow up in writing.
