St Francis De Sales College student accused of trying to lure five-year-old into carpark
High school boy accused of luring five-year-old girl into a parking lot – and father furious at authorities’ lack of response
- A teenager approached a young five-year-old student
- He asked her to come see a “puppy dog in a car.”
An elite private school has come under fire for its response to claims that a Year 12 student tried to lure a five-year-old girl into its parking space.
An irate father has pulled his two young children from St Francis De Sales College in the Adelaide Hills town of Mount Barker after a high school student reportedly asked his daughter to “see a puppy in a car” last week.
The father said his daughter refused to go with the teen but was still scared and no longer trusting others.
He said the incident immediately concerned him, given the “potentially dangerous” situation unfolding on the school grounds.
“What was the intention, who was in the parking lot?”, he asked during an interview with The messenger.
A Year 12 student approached a five-year-old student and asked her to “see a puppy dog in a car” at St Francis De Sales College (above) in Mount Barker
However, the father said it was not so much the incident as the school’s reaction that led him to remove his children from class.
He did not let the school remove any of the students involved in the incident and instead offered to organize a mediation session.
“The school wanted (our daughter) to meet the older student so she would feel more comfortable seeing him in the future… As a parent, do I just let her trust that?” he said.
“They hope it passes, a teenage boy made a silly statement — reduce it to a joke — but now it’s up to me, as a parent, to make a decision.” Do I just let that happen?’
St Francis de Sales director Gavin McGlaughlin told The Messenger that the ‘inappropriate conversation’ was dealt with ‘quickly’.
Mr McGlaughlin said all families involved were contacted within 24 hours of the incident and the consequences were communicated to the students.
The school (above) said it did not expel the eldest student, so the five-year-old’s father took his children out of class
However, the school has not confirmed what punishment the older students received.
A Catholic Education South Australia spokesperson said police were aware of the incident, but authorities said it was ‘not to be reported’.
However, South Australia Police said investigations into the conversation between the five-year-old and the teenager are continuing.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted St Francis De Sales College for comment.