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'Escape School' program aims to protect children
By Melissa Matchak
Although many parents dream of seeing their children on television one day, seeing their child's face on the screen as the latest missing child or victim of school violence may be their worst nightmare.
But a program in the United States and Canada is intended to make that happen to fewer and fewer kids.
The Service Corporation International (SCI) Escape School was created with the goal of educating children about how to protect themselves against abduction.
The Escape School program was started seven years ago by Bob Stuber, a police officer and friend of the father of still-missing child Amber Schwartz. Four years ago, Service Corporation International signed on as a corporate partner, assisting Stuber in teaching the Escape School programs.
The Escape School is sponsored locally by six local funeral homes, including Lima Family Erickson and Oak Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park in Willow Glen, along with the Lima Family Sunnyvale and Santa Clara Mortuaries, Cedar Lawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park in Fremont, and the Santa Clara Funeral Home.
Richard Fisher, the Escape School instructor for Santa Clara County, said the program is based on three foundations: parents are the best teachers; strangers are not always dangerous; and showing kids how to be smart, not scared. During the hour-long program, techniques to avoid abduction are described and demonstrated.
"We show children techniques to take action in certain situations, to take control of the situation," Fisher said. "We teach them 'be safe, not scared.'"
Fisher said the program also teaches parents how to teach their children how to be safe. He said he hopes that, with parents talking about abduction, it will cease to be a taboo subject.
Fisher, who has been teaching Escape School programs since July 1999, said the involvement of the funeral homes with the program makes sense.
"We're the ones who become part of the situation when kids are kidnapped and murdered. It's a way for us to make a difference and help out, that's why I like doing it," Fisher said.
Service Corporation International is the largest provider of funeral services in the world, according to Fisher, and offers Escape School programs in all 50 states and in Canada.
Bagby Elementary School in Willow Glen has been host to the Escape School programs on several occasions. Barbara Siggins, Bagby Home and School Club president, said the response to the program has been incredible.
"There were over 150 people the first night, and more than 200 the second night," Siggins said.
The program includes role playing for parents and kids, as well as educational information that parents can continue to teach their children at home.
"The program wasn't presented as a frightening experience for the kids," Siggins said. "It showed them they have power."
Fisher said the program is not created to be scary for the children or parents. The Escape School program focuses on keeping children safe and educating them on how to avoid abduction. The information handed out includes tips for kids, such as how to use 911, what to do when playing away from home, and what to do when strangers make them nervous. Tips for parents include what to do when their child is missing, and how to prevent abduction. A fingerprinting chart is also part of the Child I.D. Kit that is handed out.
According to Fisher, a program about school violence is in the works, and will soon be available as a separate course. A program on senior citizen safety is also being offered.
An Escape School program will be held Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. at Bagby Elementary. The free program is available for schools and youth centers in the area. For more information, visit www.escapeschool.com.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
