Homeless Shelter and PreK in the same building?? Your Thoughts..

[MelissaTC]

I would feel very uncomfortable with that situation. That's just me.

[gatorruth]

I don't live near it and my kids don't go there, but in Downtown Atlanta, one of the best preschools (at The Temple) shares property with a homeless shelter. The residents of the shelter leave by 6 or 7 AM and dont' come back till 5 or 6 PM. Neither kids or residents are around to see or interact with the other.

I'm sure the housekeeping staff at your dd's school maintains good standards, don't you??? And, if there was a problem, one of the groups would probably be asked to leave.

Was this an issue in years past? Just wondering...

[egoldber]

I guess I'm confused about what the issues would be if they are not sharing space at the same time?

[vsrapture1992]

I think as long as the space isn't shared at the same time, all is good....

[ellies mom]

I'm a little torn on this. So this may seem a little disjointed. We used to rent a large room in a church for an indoor play park that came with a storage area for our toys. So this is where I'm coming from on this. I don't really have a problem with the auditorium or the bathroom being used. When you "rent" a space in a place like a church, you've got to expect that other people are also going to use the space. Youth group, men's choir, homeless people, I'm not sure that matters as long as the space is left clean when you need to use it and your supplies are left alone. We would occasionally have a problem with the youth group or people that rented the room for a party getting into our toys. Obviously not good because it toys are broken we may not be able to afford to replace them. But that is more annoying than anything and probably not an issue if your stuff is in a different area and locked up.

For me, the concern would be how security, for lack of a better word, is handled the nights the shelter is open. How early are they leaving in the morning and is someone going to make sure everyone does leave. While we rented that space, a door was left unlocked over part of the weekend and a woman got in and basically made herself at home. She wandered all over the church and gathered pageant costumes and our park's bolster pillows and made herself a little nest in the small room off our storage unit. No one knew she was there, not the secretary that comes in at 8m, not us mom's with our young children in tow, no one. We knew our pillows were missing but couldn't find them. Finally an hour or so later, she comes wandering out and we sent her to the secretary who gave her a bus pass. Obviously, it turned OK but it definitely concerned us. I mean, we were there with our kids, what if the person wasn't a stranded woman just looking for a warm place to sleep. The absolute, vast, majority of people using the shelter are going to be just fine, but there is always that concern that one person might not be. So, while that definitely wouldn't be a deal breaker, I would want to know how the shelter will be making sure that every one has left and their plans for safety.

When it comes right down to it on cold nights, people need shelter. It can easily be a life or death situation. So, as long as I felt comfortable with the procedures the shelter has in place, then I'd be OK with it. The pre-school is not the only people using the space. And a lot of churches have missions involving helping the poor and a homeless shelter on cold night fits that.

[emilyf]

DS's school is in a church that also operates a women's shelter, and it has been fine-but they use completely separate space. Even if there is some overlap of space, I would imagine the church has thought this through pretty well. Especially if it's just on weekends I'm not sure how it would have it much effect. Could you ask a representative from the church to meet with the parents and address concerns?
Emily mom of Charlie born 11/02 and Zoe born 9/05

[kijip]

>I guess I'm confused about what the issues would be if they
>are not sharing space at the same time?

My thought exactly.

Both programs, P-K and the shelter are needed and if both can be accomplished in the same building, more power to the church for being so generous as to run both programs.

The space my mother runs a homeless feeding program in is also used, throughout the week as a drop in clinic, an Ethiopian Episcopalian congregation space, a youth bible study and a drop in play group. Sure it means a lot of cleaning but the church staff and volunteers are prepared for that.

****Rocking out while parenting my smart little 4 year old munchkin Toby.
The butter melts out of habit, you know the toast isn't even warm. -Ani DiFranco

[Sillygirl]

>The absolute, vast, majority of people using the
>shelter are going to be just fine, but there is always that
>concern that one person might not be.

I'm not sure about this. Most studies I've read have indicated that a substantial fraction of homeless people, perhaps even a majority, especially men, have mental illness and/or substance abuse issues. In decades past they would have inhabited state mental hospitals. But those were shut down and no other support network was built, and they ended up on the streets.

I mean, not to demonize a group of people. Homeless doesn't translate into psycho murderer, of course. But it's best to know exactly what you're dealing with in order to make an informed decision. For me, if the two groups occupied different times AND spaces within a large building, it would probably be okay.

[katydid1971]

FIL works with a program like this at his church and the men (its only men at this church and women at another and families at a third) clean up after themselves in the morning. They can't use drugs or they are kicked out and you can't tell they were there after they've left except some of the furniture is moved and you can sometimes smell what was for dinner the night before. I personally wouldn't have a problem with it unless they don't clean up or something but I don't think that will be the case.
Sarah

[octmom]

The daycare that both my kids used to attend leases space from a church that participates in this kind of program. The daycare director would send a letter to parents each year informing them about the program and the dates that the church was participating. My feeling was that as long as the program was run well and there were strict rules about where in the building people were allowed to be and controls on when they entered and left (all things that should always happen anyway), I was OK with it. Last year, there was an issue when a homeless man who had stayed at the church during the program came back later. I guess he either figured out a way in while he was there or propped a door. It was discovered because one morning a floor pillow from one of the toddler rooms was found in one of the bathrooms in the daycare center, along with a couple of beer cans. :( The police were called, but he was gone already. The next day, the assistant director saw the man just strolling out of the building when she arrived in the parking lot early in the morning. She called police right away and they advised the daycare center on ways to improve security. It gave me the willies, that's for sure.

Jerilyn
DS, 10/03
DD, 3/06

[dogmom]

Do you REALLY want my opinion? I think the other "fired up mothers" are selfish NIMBYs (not in my back yard)and that I would not respect if they were in my children's school. I would also hope that at some point in their life when they need charity from others they will have some insight into their shelfishness. I also would be particularly pissed off if they actually attended the church and thought they were the Christian sort. And that is why I will never be able run for local town government.

I think it would be reasonable to ask about things like, "Will someone be inspecting the area before kids are left in? Will their be security issues?" But if those kinds of concerns are not really the primary concerns and instead of some kind of "safe" way to object to the idea of the bad element breathing the same air as someone's child, I stand by by previous paragraph.

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03
& Eve 6/18/06

[cvanbrunt]

I'm with you Jeanne. This issue really chaps my hide.
Poverty and mental illness are not crimes. This country treats them like they are IMO but that's bigger issue. If people are afraid of those less fortunate than themselves, that's fine. Just please don't try to justify it on the backs of the needy.

Security of any center is always an issue. That would be my only concern.

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

Since the group and the children will be sharing space you might see if the moms who are bristleing at the idea would want to volunteer to help clean the shared areas if the church isn't already(or if the church isn't cleaning up to their standards). You also might ask the church to give their building a good "once over" in the morning to make sure noone decided to stay for the day.
I would only be concerned about cleanliness and that all the transient people are gone before the children begin arriving. If everyone's gone before school starts then you shouldn't have to worry about the childrens safety, and if everything is well cleaned then you don't have to worry about germs,lice,or any other assorted icky things that noone would want around their children.

[brigmaman]

Kelley, who maintains the building- the school district or the church? Just wondering. I know what your concerns are since we've discussed this before.
Ironically, another pre-k facility in the next town (where my ds went) also serves as the human resources for the town. Unfortunately there were several security incidents involving the homeless while we were there, so it's not unheard of.

[mamaturk]

I am not trying to sound insensitive about homeless people, I TOTALLY understand their need for help and a warm place to sleep but my town has this program that on weekend nights during the winter they open churches as makeshift homeless shelters. I think the program is great, except that our public schools' PreK (that my dd attends) is held in a part of one of these churches. Should I be worried?? They will not be there during school hours but they do use the auditorium and one of the bathrooms that the children use. Some of the other mothers @ DD's school are pretty fired up about the situation and were talking to me and I'm not sure how I feel about it. What do you guys think??

[mamaturk]

Thanks for your opinions ladies.... I was only looking to see what others though about the situation, not necessarly to be scolded. I really didn't mean for anyone to get offended by my post.

[megs4413]

poverty and mental illness in and of themselves are not crimes, no. they are tragedies. But, sometimes poverty and mental illness lead to crime and criminal behavior.

I spent a LOT of time working with the city's homeless in college. From my observations, most homeless people are either mentally ill or substance abusers. sometimes both. to be honest, i don't believe I met a single adult homeless person that wasn't either sick or chemically dependent. does that make them less worthy of assistance? of course not. in fact, they need MORE help than most. and i was more than willing to travel around the city at night in the dead of winter passing out blankets, coats, soup, etc. to the homeless residents. it was a very changing experience and something I hope to be able to do again.

BUT, it was DANGEROUS. some of the people had larger issues than others. Some of those people don't want help, they want drugs/booze. i think it's totally valid to be concerned about safety if your children are sharing space with homeless people. there are some who will literally "bite the hand that feeds them" if it will get them what they want/need at that moment. i personally, would not be comfortable with the situation until all my questions were answered and I felt that the facility was handling security properly. it doesn't seem unreasonable to me to pause and say, "is this gonna be OK for my kid?" in this situation.

and for those so passionate about the plight of the homeless, i strongly encourage you to spend some time on "winter patrol" searching the streets for homeless to reach out to. you will find that not all appreciate your kindness and some will look for anything they can steal from you. if being conscious of that makes me "afraid of those less fortunate" than me, then so be it. it's not my job to be PC, it's my job to protect my kids.

[dr mom]

Not far from where I live, the leader of the Meals on Wheels program was attacked and stabbed to death last week in a church kitchen. She was apparently trying to help a homeless man connect with local resources, including a shelter. Her assistant was also critically injured in the attack.

www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/743448.html

Obviously this was an isolated incident, but it is established FACT that the homeless have a much higher rate of mental illness and substance abuse. I have to agree with Megs - I've treated many homeless patients in the ER - and the majority of them were people I wouldn't want anywhere near my child.

I think it's noble to offer assistance to those less fortunate, but I think it's naive to do so without carefully assessing the possible risks, particularly when vulnerable children are involved.

If the church has a plan to account for how many people enter and exit the church each night, and the residents are carefully supervised to prevent substance abuse/theft/vandalism, then I wouldn't have a problem with the shared space. But if a random adult was wandering unsupervised through my child's school during classtime - ANY adult, homeless or not - I wouldn't be comfortable leaving my child there. That speaks to poor security practices.

[Ceepa]

Once I was offering food to the homeless outside my office building on a winter night. Most were very appreciative and kind. But I will never forget the man who started screaming at me and physically threw the food back at me. He was agitated and physical, and I was actually fearful for my safety.

This didn't stop me from feeding others, nor did it make me feel differently about the homeless, in general. But like pp said, my personal experiences have influenced my opinion.

-Ceepa

[dcmom2b3]

Double ditto what Megs said.

While it's true that many concerns are eliminated by the fact that the two programs won't be operating concurrently, it's still important to know exactly how the shelter program is going to be run. Is this the first year that this church is going to be used? The first year for the shelter program as a whole? Who's going to be in charge? Volunteers? Paid staff?

In my experience volunteering with homeless people, what I noticed to make the biggest difference in security issues were how qualified the staff were and how proactive they were in making and enforcing stringent rules. I'd suggest that you and other concerned parents ask who's going to be in charge during the evenings, and what their qualifications and experience are. For the good of everyone concerned, I'd hope, but not assume, that they're LCSW's with extensive experience working with this population.

One of the best run programs I participated in was held in an Episcopal church and had a list of rules a mile long, which at first I thought was paternalistic and kinda insulting (which door to enter by, where to put trays when done eating, don't enter the church for any reason, no loitering on church property when program not in session, use this bathroom only, etc., etc., etc.) Violations of these rules were dealt with harshly. Really harshly. I soon realized that all of this was necessary to maintain a sense of discipline and respect, towards staff, volunteers and the church in general. If there's a lax attitude toward order during shelter hours, it can spill over to how the shelter clients view the church property during the day, when the preschoolers are there. And no good could come of that.

Mary-Helen

[kijip]

> From my observations, most homeless people are either
>mentally ill or substance abusers. sometimes both. to be
>honest, i don't believe I met a single adult homeless person
>that wasn't either sick or chemically dependent.

While I agree that the homeless have a high rate of mental illness and addictions issues, I know that it is not true that illness and addictions are the only reason for homelessness. It is a fallacy that homelessness is only something caused by illness or addictions.

I can personally think of over a dozen families that are homeless or have been homeless in the past year that I have helped though my work or through my parent's volunteer program who are transient for no other reason than fleeing DV or who just could not pay the rent on minimum wage jobs. Women fleeing violence have a 1 in 20 chance of getting a bed at a women's DV program in my city. Many end up first in a motel and then out in the general population shelters. And the price of rent has risen rapidly in my city as of late, far faster than wages. Many households face eviction. I have run into only a handful of people that resisted my help or were rude or abusive to me. My mother has far more experience than I and has also only run into a small handful of problems...in over 15 years!

Sharing space at different times of day is totally different than sharing space at the same time of day. If rules are followed and cleaning is taken care of, I just don't see the problem.

Toby goes to a soup kitchen *every* Friday and helps sort food and colors on the table in the corner while my parents work, among the various other regular contact my family has with homeless people, so no one can accuse me of only considering the plight of the homeless from afar. :P It is not rare for me to walk down the street and have Toby say "HI!" to a person on the street and have them respond with a "Hi there Toby!". I don't feel threatened or unsafe...anyone that freaks me out gets kept at a long distance but that goes for wealthy people too, :)

[megs4413]

working through a program or in a soup kitchen is a much different experience than searching out the homeless on the streets, which is where my experience is. and IME, the men/women/children we encountered purposefully stayed away from the organized support programs. so obviously, your experience with those who are seeking out help from organizations such as the ones you are familiar with would behave differently than those that were sought out, as in my case.

and i NEVER said that illness and addiction are the only reasons for homelessness. the men and women that were sleeping on the streets that i met up with did so mostly by choice because they didn't want to follow the rules to stay in the shelters (meaning no weapons/drugs/cant be drunk at arrival/must listen to a sermon or other lesson). clearly it's a different segment of the homeless population.

i don't know what kind of program the church will run (in the OP's case), but if it's a shelter for homeless adult males i would be more concerned than if it were a women's shelter. i never ONCE encountered someone fleeing domestic violence in my work with the one shelter we worked from or on any of my trips through the city with winter patrol. in fact, we only encountered a few women with children and they hid and didn't accept help (i'm told they live in fear that their children will be taken). the other women i encountered were chemically dependent and the shelters wouldn't take them in when they were high/drunk, so we would hand them food/blankets/clothing from our van. the women were some of the most abrasive and dangerous. i don't know why.

once again my personal experience is vastly different from your opinions. we clearly live in very different places.

[kijip]

>working through a program or in a soup kitchen is a much
>different experience than searching out the homeless on the
>streets, which is where my experience is.

I was unclear. My first hand experience is not limited to the either outreach or indoor programs. I have done both.

And people that go to a shelter in a church like the OP described fall into what segment of the homeless population? Those *willing* to seek and accept help. Not the violent, resistant or hiding people you described in your post. To equate the OP's dilemma with the population you recall from your winter outreach is a stretch since the ones you said were a problem refused or were not eligible for shelter.

>and i NEVER said that illness and addiction are the only
>reasons for homelessness.

Actually you said you *never* met a *single* person on the streets that was not ill or addicted. Your words: "i don't believe I met a single adult homeless person that wasn't either sick or chemically dependent". And I believe you, but you can not generalize your experience or perceptions to the entire homeless population everywhere. I have met a large number that are not ill or addicted and shared a differing perspective. At one point, as I have previously mentioned on BBB, in 1984 my family was actually homeless ourselves so it is not surprise that we all try to do what we can to help in our own ways. My parents were neither addicts nor ill...they were job seekers in a recession who had moved to Seattle looking for a better life. We slept in a VW van for a bit and then lived in a motel for 9 months.

>i never ONCE encountered someone fleeing domestic violence in my work >with the one shelter we worked from or on any of my trips through the >city with winter patrol

You never met some one you knew was fleeing DV, does not mean you never met someone fleeing DV. Most often people don't freely share that info, especially during a food or blanket hand off. Just food for a thought. We only know what people choose to share and tell and it usually takes some time and regular contact IME for that to happen.

>once again my personal experience is vastly different from
>your opinions. we clearly live in very different places.

We each have different *experiences*. Don't discount my experience in this area as "opinion" while characterizing your assessments as experience. We each have equally valid thoughts and opinions to share that are based on differing experiences. I think is is awesome that you have helped homeless people with winter emergency services. We have so many caring and generous mamas around here. I can only learn from you what you experienced in MO and you can only learn from me what I experience in Seattle.


****Rocking out while parenting my smart little 4 year old munchkin Toby.
The butter melts out of habit, you know the toast isn't even warm. -Ani DiFranco

[Melanie]

I think as long as it's not at the same time, it's fine. I wouldn't be comfortable with the classes being held while the shelter was being used, though. Just seems like a recipe for trouble to have any random adults wandering around a preschool 'grounds,' regardless of whether or not they're homeless.

[MelissaTC]

Since we live near each other Cindy, you obviously know what happened. And that is why I answered what I did. I would feel highly uncomfortable. Couple that with an incident in White Plains, NY two years ago with a homeless man stabbing an innocent woman in a shopping mall. I make no apologies for wanting to keep my son safe.

[brittone2]

I've been contemplating this question too, because while I'd like to say it wouldn't bother me in the least, truthfully, it would concern me because of the rate of mental illness in the homeless population. I'd have to be very convinced about supervision, the individuals not occupying the same space during the same hours, etc. But...that would be a concern of mine with adult populations sharing a space w/ kids in general, and i'd be cautious about supervision at any center, kwim?

I really would like to get my kids involved in serving at a local soup kitchen, etc. when they are a little older. In that setting, I know I would be supervising. For me, that is a little different. I'm not concerned about my child being near homeless people, or spending time volunteering to help them, etc. I would be concerned about what kind of supervision was taking place during that. In your case, Katie, you know Toby is being adequately supervised, and pretty closely. It can be hard to guarantee that other people are going to supervise your child the same way we supervise our own children.

However, if I could be sure that the center was giving my child adequate supervision and security was fine (again, a concern anywhere), I would be open to sending my child there. I'd be lying though if I said that the mental illness rates wouldn't factor into my concerns and questions for the center.

[brittone2]

Just agreeing in general that those who are seeking out assistance may be less of a concern than random individuals you might meet on the street, particularly if the program they are involved with assists them in obtaining and keeping up with medication, counseling services, etc.

[megs4413]

you're assuming that the homeless who will be involved in the church shelter program fall into the non-violent, non-resistant segment of the homeless population. we encountered plenty of the unstable kind at the shelter we worked out of. the vast majority of people we encountered were male (i only met a handful of women and they NEVER slept in the shelter, the children had to hide so they could avoid CPS). I guess I am assuming that the men were not fleeing domestic violence. maybe they were. i dont know. but, the OP is unclear on what kind of people will be helped in the shelter. IME, shelters are either for women/children or for men. I have heard that there are some shelters for families, but I have not worked in any (which would be co-ed). if this will be a "men's shelter", i would have much stronger concerns.

and the "problem" homeless we encountered didn't all refuse help. i'm using "problem" to mean that segment of the population that is either mentally ill or chemically dependent (sometimes both). i met plenty *friendly* homeless men who were also alcoholics or schizophrenics. just because they accept help freely, doesn't mean they don't have their own issues.

i didn't recall you posting about being homeless. I'm sorry that that happened to you. seems you've had an awfully rough life. HUGS.

[dogmom]

I wasn't trying to "scold" in anyway, I'm sorry if it came off that way. I was trying to address the whole situation, including the other mothers "all fired up" about the situation. We just had a similar situation in our town and I got to say the stupid stuff that came out of people's mouth was just outstanding.

I said that questions about security were reasonable and should be answered, but those always should be in play when it comes to a school/daycare situation. What I would listen to is if the concerns are adequately addressed by the staff/organization and then if the concerned individuals just come up with other objections I would question their motives.

I find that people can get whipped up in a frenzy about just about anything, especially when they can justify it by the "safety of their children" concerns. People in general are not good about actually judging statistical risks. (Putting way to much weight on a very unlikely proposition.)

Other than that it would be hard to judge your situation without a lot more details, like what population, when they are coming and going, etc.

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03
& Eve 6/18/06

[kijip]

>i didn't recall you posting about being homeless. I'm sorry
>that that happened to you. seems you've had an awfully rough
>life. HUGS.

Nothing that has not been more than balanced out with more than my fair share of advantages and blessings. Life is life and we all take it as it comes.


****Rocking out while parenting my smart little 4 year old munchkin Toby.
The butter melts out of habit, you know the toast isn't even warm. -Ani DiFranco

[kijip]

I really appreciate your thoughtful post on this, Beth.

> But...that would be a concern of
>mine with adult populations sharing a space w/ kids in
>general, and i'd be cautious about supervision at any center,
>kwim?

This is my thing too, call me paranoid but I am just as suspicious of random dude walking down the street in a suit as I am of random homeless dude. I think it is important to be cautious and careful about pretty much everyone. My kid deserves my careful protection and love and I will give that to him by protecting him as best I can from everyone without sealing him off from his community.

>I really would like to get my kids involved in serving at a
>local soup kitchen, etc. when they are a little older. In
>that setting, I know I would be supervising. For me, that is
>a little different. I'm not concerned about my child being
>near homeless people, or spending time volunteering to help
>them, etc. I would be concerned about what kind of
>supervision was taking place during that. In your case,
>Katie, you know Toby is being adequately supervised, and
>pretty closely.

True dat on supervision, but a tent city or winter emergency shelter just does not have a lot of overlap from preschool kids. It is not like the preschool is going to be run by homeless volunteers. Regarding Toby going to a feeding program each week, I think it is really important to get him exposed to a lot of different people while he is still young enough to develop a comfort level. It also is a great way for him to get to really KNOW what his grandparents are about- my father cooks all day one day a week and they serve the next day, my mother works the door and enforces the rules like a hawk (she is known as the bouncer and at 6 feet tall with a loud and commanding voice, people take the title seriously, LOL). So I feel pretty fortunate that he has the opportunity that he does each week. He has a blast, and the only risk to him that I can see is from the old lady volunteers plying him with too much freaking pie and desserts. The boy is never hungry for dinner that night and it took me awhile to figure out why- I got the picture when he asked me for Key Lime pie one weekend. :P The particular program he attends draws in a lot of people- everyone from pensioners living in Senior Housing on pittance per month food stamps to temp laborers who live in cars by the marina and never quite have enough to get into an apartment to drunks who are homeless 100% by choice or untreated mental problems. They come (people that often refuse other food assistance) because the food is not the standard questionable quality meatloaf surprise that a lot of soup kitchens are known for. As wildly hokey as it sounds I like that he knows full well that people do not all go home to warm houses but he also is armed with the knowledge that there is help and that people do help. I only mentioned Toby's attendance (as part of a larger family wide effort on poverty and homelessness issues) since the idea had been raised that before people defended the plight of homeless, they should get their hands dirty with helping the homeless. And while there is a great deal I have NO experience in whatsoever, this is one of those near and dear to me topics that I know a lot about. :)

>I'd be lying though if I said that the mental illness rates
>wouldn't factor into my concerns and questions for the
>center.

I think we all would be lying if we said it didn't, but it can factor in without being a deal breaker. Concerns can be a point of reaching understanding about the shelter's policies and procedures. What is the logical conclusion to getting up in arms about it like the women the OP posted about? If the goal is to stop it outright from happening, the kids either have to change schools or the people in need of a warm place to sleep have to find another spot. One group suffers in some way in an either/or action. It is out of sync with my values to prioritize what are highly solvable and manageable issues of cleanliness, supervision and distinct time schedules over someone not sleeping in the cold. I tend to agree with dogmom on the NIMBY thing- some people hear homeless and the wall goes up. However, I don't think that is the place that the OP was writing from at all- she, like all of us is going to pause at anything that might endanger a child. There is certainly no shame in considering the risks involved with anything that we do with out children. I once took Toby out of a school for little more reason than the teacher kept losing his clothes and did not talk to me much about what he was doing for the few hours a day he was there. :P We are all naturally going to be protective of our children's well being and best interests. That is a good thing. I just hope that we all try to educate our kids by example that risks don't only come from the poor or ill or less than clean sorts.


****Rocking out while parenting my smart little 4 year old munchkin Toby.
The butter melts out of habit, you know the toast isn't even warm. -Ani DiFranco

[nov04]

I would wager a guess that the pre-k program rents the space at a hugely discounted price. I think that this means that they must be ready to accept that other ppl will be using that space too.

Also, any place needs to be careful of security if they care for kids, it doesn't increase just because a marginalized segment of society is there too during its off-hours.

No judgement is meant to you or your friends.

[KBecks]

Yes, be concerned from a security point of view. I'd ask questions about their security procedures as to exactly how they ensure that any individual who is not authorized to be in the school is not. If individuals are in the school building during off hours, what are the protocols for ensuring no one lingers behind? How are these checks carried out? How will they handle individuals that come to the school during school hours that are not supposed to be there? What are those procedures? Who handles those situations? How secure are the playgrounds and who monitors them? Etc. etc.

As long as they have thought through security and have a good plan for executing their security then I'd be OK. If they haven't covered this, I'd be concerned and ask they take it very seriously.

ETA: I think that security at my church is not the greatest; seriously consider whether the school and church have adequate enough and attentive staff who will ensure a secure enviornment for the children.

My church was doing visioning for a new school combined with other community services and security of the students was very high in my mind. Those plans were not realized, but safety and security of the school are top priority and school administrators need to be proactive about addressing parents concerns.