Miramonte Elementary School Sex Abuse was Preventable

LUBBOCK, TX -- "To the parents of the students at Miramonte Elementary school I want to say that I understand their outrage. Schools and churches should be safe for children but the reality is that not even schools and churches who take excellent precautions can guarantee the safety of children," says Dr. Beth Robinson, creator of the Safe Touch Coloring Book and God Made Me: Safe Touch Coloring Book and Graduate Director of Behavioral Sciences at Lubbock Christian University.

"Armed with the right information, parents can be empowered to educate their children about sexual safety. Parents need tools -- like the safe touch coloring book -- to help them have these conversations," states Dr. Robinson. "Something as simple as reading and coloring in a book like God Made Me: The Safe Touch Coloring Book can help parents initiate sexual safety discussions."

Dr. Robinson is also a strong proponent of intrusive supervision -- when a parent/guardian drops in unexpectedly at their children's schools and activities to check who their children are interacting with at structured and unstructured activities.

"Make unscheduled and unannounced visits to your child's school/classroom to give yourself a more complete picture of what is going on during that time," suggests Dr. Robinson, a licensed professional counselor who maintains a private practice working with abused and traumatized children.

"Parents can make a choice to learn and then teach their children sexual safety skills to better equip them to recognize what is safe and what is not, and when and how to tell if they experience inappropriate sexual behavior from peers or adults."