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The purpose of the thread is in the header. We're looking at other school-related abductions. As part of that, several people have talked about safety for kids, including actual tests that show even kids educated about safety will walk off with an adult who seems trustworthy.
Is there a case cited here that includes a boy exactly Kyron's age who disappeared in exactly the same way at exactly the same time of day, etc? Nope.
But every day parents send their children off for transport to school, to be in school, to take part in special events both during and before/after school hours, to take field trips, to do school-related activities. For most parents that I know, the abduction of a child is major, scary stuff, and especially so when a child is taken from an environment where he/she is supposedly under supervision by people entrustetd with his/her welfare.
As a result of Kyron's abduction, many have suggested, and Skyline has now implemented, greater safety measures to protect children and track what goes on (these measures, IMHO, should have been in effect all along, but that's JMO). There's been coverage of school safety throughout Portland.
Looking at prior cases where children have been abducted from schools or in activities related to schools--including going to and from, as many predators hang out where kids walk, play, or congregate as well as near schools themselves--is a logical thing to do. And perhaps might lead to greater awareness of potential problems, suggested solutions, and maybe even at some point trigger an awareness of some small small thing in Kyron's case that wasn't totally apparent at the time. I dunno about that as a 100% probability, but I think that looking at other cases can only help raise awareness and provide additional thinking/talking points for community education.
The government and other agencies have websites dealing with these issues, including prior cases. So obviously there's an interest in, and a need for, concern about our children's safety--and for an awareness of the danger points when sending our children to school and school-related activities.
And, as I noted in one of my early posts kicking off the discussion in this thread, in 2000 Dr. Phil thought that the problem of children being abducted from schools was important enough for a whole show. I'll repeat that link.
http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/1107
So the topic seems, IMHO, to be relevant. No one is declaring that Kyron had to be taken from outside the school. And yes, sometimes children go missing from inside schools.
We've had many discussion threads that become part of the complex case that is Kyron's case. I'd venture to say that the majority of those participating in this thread have enjoyed it.
And there have been some very interesting, and relevant stories and background information offered. FWIW, children have gone missing from inside schools, as other posters have pointed out.
I still have concerns about a possibility from inside the school, but as that circumstance still isn't on the "sleuthable" list here at WS I haven't mentioned it. That's OK with me. But I value and appreciate having the chance for people to discuss everything from how grand juries work in general to other issues we're all learing about.
However, if this discussion offends you, my apologies. We all have differing viewpoints on what is or is not important, and thank you for offering yours in this thread. I agree with you--if you believe you're wasting your time in this thread, then you should start a thread about something that deeply interests you or contribute to threads that are fruitful to you. The alternatives for discussion are what WS is all about, and I hope that you find a thread that really piques your interest.
