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Phoenix elementary school alerts parents of several lure attempts

The Alhambra School District says there have been three recent incidents of a man trying to lure students of Westwood Elementary.

PHOENIX — A Phoenix elementary school has sent three letters home to parents alerting them of lure attempts in the past few weeks— the most recent case happening Tuesday morning. 

According to a letter from Westwood Elementary School Principal Theresa Killingsworth, a suspicious man tried to lure a girl into his vehicle Tuesday while she was on her way to school. 

The day before, a man posed as a teacher, knocked on a family’s door and told them he was there to take their daughter to school, a letter sent to parents read. 

A man tried to lure a Westwood student into his vehicle on the afternoon of March 26 while the student was on their way home from school, according to another letter.

Westwood Elementary School is part of the Alhambra School District. All three letters were signed by school principal Killingsworth and each states that the incidents were reported to Phoenix police. 

Each letter describes a different man in each of the instances and none of them seem to have similar physical attributes. Even in the two incidents that involved a man trying to get a student to enter his car, the cars different. One was driving a white truck with the word “Royal” on the back. The other was in a two-door tan car with a black grill. In that report, the man was wearing gloves with red palms and was described differently.

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Linda Jeffries, a spokeswoman for Alhambra School District, said the district will occasionally hear of a lure attempt in a school year but she has never had three situations in three weeks. Jeffries said she's been in her position for 24 years.

Killingsworth's letters have asked families to call the police if they notice suspicious people near Westwood and Simpson, another district school, campuses.

The letters sent home also include "stranger danger" guidelines for children including telling a parent, teacher or responsible adult if you are approached by a stranger, walking in pairs, never getting in a car with a stranger and not letting strangers into your home. 

The school district also asks parents to teach their children how to call 911 and to teach them that it’s okay to say “no” to a stranger when they feel something is wrong.

In light of the man posing as a teacher, Killingsworth's letter assures parents that a staff member will not come to students' homes to escort them to school. If any school or district administrator visits the homes of a student they will call to set up the visit and will always show identification.

If you do see suspicious behavior in the area you can call the Phoenix Police Department at 602-262-6151.

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