On Aug. 10, Sweetwater United High School District (SUHSD) Superintendent, Moises Auguirre, brought attention to recent issues concerning strangers offering students rides throughout SUHSD schools. This information was presented on a daily Bonita Vista Television (BVTV) broadcast where Aguirre and San Diego District Attorney, Summer Stephen, explained previous incidents at Willow Elementary, Rancho Del Rey Middle and San Ysidro High.
“The motive behind these incidents is unclear. It’s possible that it’s connected to human trafficking. Parents and students should be aware of this issue and talk about it,” Stephen explained. “It’s important that no student accepts a ride and even if they are approached that they [should] report it to a teacher or other school faculty.”
Furthermore, in his message, Aguirre explains the procedures and policies that ensure a positive learning environment, including the comprehensive emergency response plan, internet safety and mental health support.
“The safety and well-being of the students is the top priority in all [SUHSD] schools. Let’s have a successful and safe school year,” Aguirre said.
Bonita Vista High (BVH) Principal Lee Romero ensured that policies were in place to prevent incidents from occurring at BVH. Moreover, many schools in SUHSD use precautions to prevent students from dangerous situations. These precautions consist of parent pickup, where parents must provide some form of identification and need to be in the students information sheet. Administration also keeps an eye out for out-of-place individuals at school events and sports games.
“I don’t take these things lightly. [School safety] is my number one priority. It is the most important aspect of this school. If something happens where the schools suspect something, the district informs our area and we keep a vigilant eye and report it out to the parents,” Romero said.
BVH Health Science teacher, Shannon Bruce, describes how students who are faced with this dilemma can take preliminary precautions. Some tips she suggests for students are when ordering an Uber or Lyft, always match up the cars license plates, never repeatedly walk the same road at the same time alone and be aware of who you surround yourself with.
“We have a massive problem with human trafficking and I definitely agree with the Superintendent. I hope you never get in a car with a stranger and some of you do because of Uber and Lyft,” Bruce said.
Several incidents in SUHSD have been linked to human trafficking. Montgomery High (MH) faced incidents linked to the exploitation of female students being paid by older individuals. Romero was the principal at the time and addressed the situation by letting police officials handle it in a professional manner.
“One of the people who was taking advantage [at MH] was a student that would prey and find girls that would be susceptible. They would take advantage of the girls and make them work for money,” Romero said. “[As a new principal] I had no idea what was happening and that it happens in this area.”
Moving forward, Romero continues to instill precautions and prioritize students safety. He expresses how the many responsibilities he holds, including the well-being of students. Romero shows gratitude towards the message from Aguirre informing many families and students about the importance of reporting these incidents.
“I was glad to see that our district is taking a proactive approach with the District Attorney to come out and warn parents about predators. So I was happy that they were there [informing with the message],” Romero said.
As Romero ensures that policies are put into place, Bruce explains that as a health teacher she informs students during her classes by looking at current cases. Recently, she explained to her students that two women were kidnapped when entering a car thinking it was for a car app. By informing her students, they become more aware of what to look out for and what to do in stressful situations. Bruce describes what students hope to do in these types of circumstances.
“Hopefully they don’t [have to experience being approached by a stranger] go through that. We have to think about this type of thing. Everytime I see my students in the beginning of class we look at current events,” Bruce said.
Still, it is unclarified if these incidents were connected to human trafficking. Students can only take precautions and administrators can only enforce them. As the school year goes on, Romero and educators will keep a look out for these suspicious behaviors while teachers like Bruce will inform students how to take care of themselves.
“It’s always nice to get another dose of a warning. The more informed we are, the safer we’ll be. Even if it is not the case it creates something like this, so I think that’s really important; it’s better to be safer than sorry,” Bruce said. “It’s all fun and games until one of us is kidnapped, so always keep your ears open and your eyes peeled. Let’s not live in fear but let’s live informed. Unfortunately, this is the world we live in and I wish that it was different and we didn’t have to deal with this.”
