Kidnapping from aftercare at Rocketship

[Anonymous]

This story is a parent's worst fear. A total stranger trying to leave the school with your young kids? It happened on Oct 11 and parents just finding out about it now.

Rocketship apparently tried to deflect the reporter that the kids "weren't kidnapped" but sounds like the police are charging the guy, who is also a sex offender.


https://www.fox5dc.com/news/court-records-sex-offender-kidnapped-two-children-from-dc-charter-school

[Anonymous]

They should charge the after care workers with neglect. How do you not notice a stranger playing with an after school care kid for 15 minutes.

[Anonymous]

They should have already been requiring everyone inside the building that goes past security to show ID. Certainly no unknown adult should be allowed to hang out with the kids in aftercare with out staff asking & confirming their identity.
The aftercare staff should have charges pressed and be fired for neglect.
So very thankful for the resource officer that noticed something was off and saved those children.

[Anonymous]

I used to work in a school that had a high number of families below the poverty line. Our principal did not make everyone show ID when they came in at drop off and pick up. I was always so worried but was told that they want to build a relationship with parents and an ID could be a bridge that could make it impossible.

So I'm not shocked this happened. Poor babies and poor mom. You drop your kids off expecting them to be safe and then some random person is allowed inside and access to your kids. Awful.

And yes, so thankful to the resource officer.

[Anonymous]

When will these schools learn that delaying parent notification is not okay under any circumstances?!

[Anonymous]

I smell a lawsuit against Rocketship.

[Anonymous]

I just don't see how they could have continued to employ SpringBoard after the incident last year at CHML. Springboard was not conducting background checks and presumably lying about it....how were they even allowed to continue serving in this capacity? I don't know anything about Rocket ship, but shame on them for not finding a new provider. More importantly, I am glad the kids are safe...insanely scary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should have already been requiring everyone inside the building that goes past security to show ID. Certainly no unknown adult should be allowed to hang out with the kids in aftercare with out staff asking & confirming their identity.
The aftercare staff should have charges pressed and be fired for neglect.
So very thankful for the resource officer that noticed something was off and saved those children.

Yes, and I want to add: even if someone says they are the parent/relative, or even if they actually are the non-custodial parent or relative, they should never release unless that person is on the "okay" list to release the kid to and there is documentation. Because a non-custodial parent can kidnap a child.


When I was very young, my parents actualyl sent us to a small Christian private school. One reason why my dad kept us at that school for a long time was because he was impressed at how, every time he (instead of my mom, who was the usual pick-up person) picked us up, a staff member asked the child who he was, verified his identity, and wrote down who he was. This was hugely unusual considering it was the very early 1980s.

[Anonymous]

That is seriously messed up. There was a recent article about a sex offender getting into the Library of Congress daycare (or almost getting in) and another about people trying to lure kids into cars outside Thompson elementary school- related?

[Anonymous]

There was a post on here a few weeks ago about how terrible it was that aftercare at a different school didn't allow the playground to be open to the public. Stuff like this is exactly why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just don't see how they could have continued to employ SpringBoard after the incident last year at CHML. Springboard was not conducting background checks and presumably lying about it....how were they even allowed to continue serving in this capacity? I don't know anything about Rocket ship, but shame on them for not finding a new provider. More importantly, I am glad the kids are safe...insanely scary.

Reading between the lines ... they couldn't find anyone else, and the families depend on that aftercare.

More salient question -- why can't the city work to provide care until 6 at our public schools? I'd happily pay for that from tax money, rather than work with a network of private providers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just don't see how they could have continued to employ SpringBoard after the incident last year at CHML. Springboard was not conducting background checks and presumably lying about it....how were they even allowed to continue serving in this capacity? I don't know anything about Rocket ship, but shame on them for not finding a new provider. More importantly, I am glad the kids are safe...insanely scary.

Reading between the lines ... they couldn't find anyone else, and the families depend on that aftercare.

More salient question -- why can't the city work to provide care until 6 at our public schools? I'd happily pay for that from tax money, rather than work with a network of private providers.

As far as I know, DCPS severed ties with Springboard after the 'incident' and at least 4 schools had to, and did find alternate care. Seems like no one wanted to bother at RS as I am sure its a large undertaking. Sometimes, however, these things must be done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just don't see how they could have continued to employ SpringBoard after the incident last year at CHML. Springboard was not conducting background checks and presumably lying about it....how were they even allowed to continue serving in this capacity? I don't know anything about Rocket ship, but shame on them for not finding a new provider. More importantly, I am glad the kids are safe...insanely scary.

Reading between the lines ... they couldn't find anyone else, and the families depend on that aftercare.

More salient question -- why can't the city work to provide care until 6 at our public schools? I'd happily pay for that from tax money, rather than work with a network of private providers.

As far as I know, DCPS severed ties with Springboard after the 'incident' and at least 4 schools had to, and did find alternate care. Seems like no one wanted to bother at RS as I am sure its a large undertaking. Sometimes, however, these things must be done.

I do think it was hard to find a provider when so many schools were simultaneously in the market for a vendor. Not that this makes it okay, but there is only so much capacity that other providers have to fill in the hole left by Springboard.

[Anonymous]

Kidnapped by a *sex offender*. How are the school and aftercare provider still in operation? SHUT DOWN. YOU FAIL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kidnapped by a *sex offender*. How are the school and aftercare provider still in operation? SHUT DOWN. YOU FAIL!

Because charters are not accountable to the public and want to keep it that way by fighting transparency at any cost.