Skelly Elementary Accusations Reminder For Parents

By Ashli Sims, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Experts say the accusations against a Skelly Elementary School administrator are a reminder to all parents to have a conversation with their children.

They say it shouldn't take news like accusations of molestation by a school administrator for you to sit down and talk to your child.

"When something has happened in the community and there's an awareness of it parents use that as their entree to begin talking about personal and body safety with children," Roy Van Tassell, Trauma Specialist, said. "We really encourage parents to have that conversation long before that."

Roy Van Tassell is a trauma specialist who works for Family and Children's Services. He says parents should talk to their children about personal touch safety just like they talk about what to do in a fire.

"All kids at school learn stop, drop, and roll. All kids should know: no, go, and tell," he said.

Van Tassell says telling starts with knowing what's ok, and what's not.

"Let them know touching safety rules that it's not ok for someone to touch you in a way that makes you uncomfortable," he said. "Teach what private parts are and the right names for body parts so they can give you good information if there is something that makes them uncomfortable. Or if they're having a medical problem."

Sometimes there are warning signs and sometimes there aren't. So Van Tasselll says don't wait for a change in behavior to talk to your child.

"You wouldn't do that with fire, you wouldn't do that with matches," Van Tassell said. "Never make the mistake that no information means everything is fine."

The CDC estimates one-in-four girls and one-in-six boys will have unwanted sexual contact by the time they turn 18.  They also say of adults who were sexually abused as children only-one-in three told someone about the abused during childhood.

For advice on how to talk to their kids about personal touch safety, check out stopitnow.com and nctsn.com