Dist. 47 reaching out after abduction attempts

Crystal Lake police and Crystal Lake Elementary District 47 are holding a series of meetings with parents over the next week after two recent child abduction attempts near District 47 schools.

All meetings will be held at 7 p.m.

• Richard Bernotas Middle School, 170 N. Oak St. will host parents from Canterbury, Coventry and West elementary schools today.

• Lundahl Middle School, 560 Nash Road, will host parents from Indian Prairie, Woods Creek and Glacier Ridge elementary schools on Monday.

• Hannah Beardsley Middle School, 515 E. Crystal Lake Ave., will host parents from Husmann, North and South elementary schools on Tuesday.

The meetings will feature presentations from Crystal Lake police and school officials about how to help keep your kids safe, followed by a question-and-answer session.

"Due to the nature of these incidents, we thought it was important to reach out to the community," Crystal Lake Police Chief David Linder said. "It's kind of a collaborative effort - so we can provide information on what occurred and educate parents and school staff on what they should know."

In the first suspicious incident on Feb. 10, an unknown man tried to persuade a girl to get in his car as she was walking to school at West Elementary, Superintendent Donn Mendoza said.

In the second incident on Feb. 16, two unknown men in a car approached a girl near Coventry Elementary School and tried to talk to her. The girl ran away and called a parent.

Police do not believe the two cases are related.