by JEN BIUNDO

The parent of a Kyle Elementary School student says her 10-year-old daughter was harassed and followed by two men who tried to convince her to get into their vehicle as she was walking home from school last Wednesday afternoon.

School district officials say they’re taking the report seriously and are working with Kyle police officers to get to the bottom of the incident.

“The police have agreed to step up efforts patrolling at the beginning of school and the end of school,” said Hays CISD Spokesperson Julie Jerome. “Safety is our top priority for every campus. Given this report we’ll be extra sensitive to any strangers in the area.”

The mother said her daughter, a fifth grader at Kyle Elementary School, had stayed late to volunteer for safety patrol. About 45 minutes after the 2:40 bell, the girl was walking to her home less than a block from campus when a white four-door sedan drove up alongside her with the windows rolled down. They asked the girl if she wanted a ride, and when she didn’t look at them or respond, they spoke to her again.

“They said, ‘We’re looking for our puppy, will you help us,’” the girl’s mother reported.

When she still didn’t acknowledge them, the men then drove around the corner and came back around, passing the girl from the other side. Not wanting them to know where she lived, the girl began walking toward the Kyle Library. At that point, her mother drove up.

“I honked the horn at her,” her mother said. “She turned around and was crying.”

The mother immediately called police to report the incident, she said.

School sources say other parents have reported seeing an older-model white four-door sedan lingering around the Kyle Elementary School campus.

Stranger abductions of children are rare. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates there are about 115 such cases annually.

Kyle spokesperson Jerry Hendrix confirmed the incident and said police would be on alert.

“We always have an enhanced presence around all the schools at the time kids are coming and going,” Hendrix said.

Jerome said the school has safety protocols in place for responding to suspected abduction attempts.

“If a child has any concerns about his or her safety I ask the parents to please call the campus immediately,” Jerome said.

The girl’s mother said she’s worked to teach her daughter about safety, telling her to never get into a stranger’s vehicle and coming up with scenarios that people might use to trick her into getting into the car. She believes her daughter may have escaped a possible abduction attempt.

“I just want parents to be aware so it doesn’t happen again,” she said. “Some other parent might not be so lucky.”

Read more:

• School district looking into reported elementary kid stalkers  01/8/2010
• Kyle police investigate possible child abduction attempt  01/31/2012
• Two more attempted abductions reported  12/15/2010
• School officials warn of possible attempted abduction  11/13/2010
• Two possible abductions reported on same day  12/1/2010