Peeping in Rockville

[Anonymous]

http://feedly.com/k/HH7OSa

[Anonymous]

As a parent of a female student at Hoover MS, I am concerned how long the janitor in question was spying on girls before he got caught. Several reports have been released with varying amounts of details that I would hope the Principal along with a Montgomery County Police spokesperson will have a face to face meeting with parents to answer questions.

Of particular concern to me are reports that girls were being videotaped as they were changing. If so, have the police looked for prior videotapes to see if other children were victimized?

[Anonymous]

Where has it been reported that someone videotaped the girls?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where has it been reported that someone videotaped the girls?

Some news outlet reported it, but the police department said there are no charges or accusations of videotaping.

[Anonymous]

Please protect your children. Give them an oversized XXL t-shirt that they can pull over their head without putting their arms into the armholes, and then they can safely change clothes underneath that. It is easy enough habit to get into and they do not need to have a lot of privacy to change clothes modestly.

Especially if your kid is into sports, dance, theatre, they will be changing clothes frequently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please protect your children. Give them an oversized XXL t-shirt that they can pull over their head without putting their arms into the armholes, and then they can safely change clothes underneath that. It is easy enough habit to get into and they do not need to have a lot of privacy to change clothes modestly.

Especially if your kid is into sports, dance, theatre, they will be changing clothes frequently.

Oh my God.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please protect your children. Give them an oversized XXL t-shirt that they can pull over their head without putting their arms into the armholes, and then they can safely change clothes underneath that. It is easy enough habit to get into and they do not need to have a lot of privacy to change clothes modestly. Especially if your kid is into sports, dance, theatre, they will be changing clothes frequently.

Oh my God.

This is not a perfect world. I am sorry. I wish things were different too. But in some schools you have CCTV, kids have cameras in their cell phones and can post embarrassing videos and photos on the internet in a second. Janitorial staff, bus drivers, teachers, coaches in MCPS in years past have been arrested for stuff ranging from child pornograhy possession, drug use, to child abuse.

Being vigilant and taking precautions provide some safety. Bad things can still happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please protect your children. Give them an oversized XXL t-shirt that they can pull over their head without putting their arms into the armholes, and then they can safely change clothes underneath that. It is easy enough habit to get into and they do not need to have a lot of privacy to change clothes modestly.

Especially if your kid is into sports, dance, theatre, they will be changing clothes frequently.

Good suggestion. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

As one who's never been abused, I am often amazed at posts like this - as this idea would have NEVER crossed my mind . . .

But to repeat - I've never been abused.

Anonymous wrote:Please protect your children. Give them an oversized XXL t-shirt that they can pull over their head without putting their arms into the armholes, and then they can safely change clothes underneath that. It is easy enough habit to get into and they do not need to have a lot of privacy to change clothes modestly.

Especially if your kid is into sports, dance, theatre, they will be changing clothes frequently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
As one who's never been abused, I am often amazed at posts like this - as this idea would have NEVER crossed my mind . . .

But to repeat - I've never been abused.

Anonymous wrote:Please protect your children. Give them an oversized XXL t-shirt that they can pull over their head without putting their arms into the armholes, and then they can safely change clothes underneath that. It is easy enough habit to get into and they do not need to have a lot of privacy to change clothes modestly.

Especially if your kid is into sports, dance, theatre, they will be changing clothes frequently.

I'm not the poster who posted that, but I think it's a good option. On this day and age where anyone can make a video of you and post it online. Or, even a good option for someone like me who was always pretty self-conscious about my body in middle school. I wish my mom had suggested this to me even back then!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please protect your children. Give them an oversized XXL t-shirt that they can pull over their head without putting their arms into the armholes, and then they can safely change clothes underneath that. It is easy enough habit to get into and they do not need to have a lot of privacy to change clothes modestly.

Especially if your kid is into sports, dance, theatre, they will be changing clothes frequently.

As one who's never been abused, I am often amazed at posts like this - as this idea would have NEVER crossed my mind . . .

But to repeat - I've never been abused.

I am the mom who posted this and I have never been abused either. Why would you even think that only an abused person would think of this?

I am very vigilent and I think it is because of a number of reasons - I was raised in a different country and in my culture a great premium was put on modesty. Even now I can not become nude in a ladies locker room in the gym, and I see a lot of women who are not bothered by nudity and will insist on having a conversation with you without a stitch on them. I have always been able to change in a public place using some kind of covering and taught the same to my kids.

Secondly - regardless of which culture you belong too - there are people who will exploit other people, so as a mom - I do not trust ANYONE. My daughter knows that she is not allowed to be alone with any male (besides close family) alone. Not teacher, not classmate, not neighbor, not even a pastor. She is allowed to go out for parties, outings, camps, movies, homecoming, tournaments, concerts with classmates (both males and females) because I believe that there is some safety in numbers.

And last of all - In a MS PTA meeting the principal told us that they were going through the security cameras to find out who was responsible for a rash of thefts in the school. So I surmised that there is CCTV everywhere. And when a fight broke out outside of the school, a bunch of kids captured it on their camera phone and put it on social media sites. So - it is natural to assume that they can be video taped without being aware.

None of this is rocket science. You look at the world, assess what could be a threat and be proactive about minimizing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please protect your children. Give them an oversized XXL t-shirt that they can pull over their head without putting their arms into the armholes, and then they can safely change clothes underneath that. It is easy enough habit to get into and they do not need to have a lot of privacy to change clothes modestly.

Especially if your kid is into sports, dance, theatre, they will be changing clothes frequently.

You don't even need such a large shirt. I mastered this trick as a teen when I needed to change for sports but didn't always have a good place to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You don't even need such a large shirt. I mastered this trick as a teen when I needed to change for sports but didn't always have a good place to do so.

That's true. Though I find there is a lot more space to maneuver underneath the fabric if it is a large shirt. A larger shirt will also cover legs (if that is a concern) and not stick too much to the body. Almost like having your own personal changing room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
And last of all - In a MS PTA meeting the principal told us that they were going through the security cameras to find out who was responsible for a rash of thefts in the school. So I surmised that there is CCTV everywhere. And when a fight broke out outside of the school, a bunch of kids captured it on their camera phone and put it on social media sites. So - it is natural to assume that they can be video taped without being aware.

None of this is rocket science. You look at the world, assess what could be a threat and be proactive about minimizing it.

Good point. You can be videotaped anywhere and everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of a female student at Hoover MS, I am concerned how long the janitor in question was spying on girls before he got caught. Several reports have been released with varying amounts of details that I would hope the Principal along with a Montgomery County Police spokesperson will have a face to face meeting with parents to answer questions.

Of particular concern to me are reports that girls were being videotaped as they were changing. If so, have the police looked for prior videotapes to see if other children were victimized?

Please talk to your daughter. I have a daughter at another middle school (not Hoover), but who has female friends at Hoover who are very upset about this. Many girls feel like the school has spoken to parents and to the media, but not to the girls themselves (beyond the girls who reported the incident). The girls want answers about how this happened and how it will be prevented. They also feel unsafe at school now, but there is apparently no effort to deal with the psychosocial effects of this crime (i.e. no counseling offered at school, etc.) The girls also have concerns about how the initial complaint was handled. It would be helpful in this situation if parents and kids were talking to each other and banding together to approach the administration with concerns.