Schools should take more responsibility

How is it that a child does not show up for school and, unable to speak to a parent on the phone, the school authorities do nothing more than leave a phone message? Whether Jessica Ridgeway’s absence was ordinary or extraordinary, there should have been a process in place at her Colorado school that involved direct contact with the parent to report a missing child. This may not have made a difference in the horrific outcome in the Jessica Ridgeway murder but, hopefully, it could prevent a tragedy in the future.

Mary Dobbins

Wheeling