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CAPE CORAL - If your child's school was placed on lockdown would you want to know?

Nearly two weeks ago, Cape Coral Charter School was locked down after reports of a peeping tom on campus. Police arrived but parents were never notified.

"I should be informed," said Jesse, a mother of four who didn't want to give her last name.

Police were called to the school on Oct. 12 after three children reported seeing a man taking pictures through a cafeteria window during fourth and fifth grade lunch.

Parents were never told what happened because the school didn't think it was necessary. Jesse found out nearly two weeks later when her son mentioned the incident.

"How is it that I have to find out by my 9-year-old that this happened in the school?," asked Jesse. "Had my child not said it I wouldn't know that I have anything to be concerned about."

 A thorough search of the campus by school officials and police turned up nothing. But Jesse is angry that the school didn't bother to notify parents - especially when, she says, they call her late at night for things like PTO meetings and reminders about a fall festival.

"The next time there's a PTO meeting I don't want to hear about it," said Jesse. "I'd rather hear that my children were put on lockdown."

Jesse says she tried calling the school three times Tuesday and waited four hours before getting a hold of the principal who she says apologized.

The school's spokeswoman declined to go on camera.

"Parents were not notified of the incident," said the school's spokeswoman Colleen Reynolds, "because there was no real incident that occurred - only a precaution."

Jesse says she should have been the judge of that.

"When the school is locked down I want to know," she said. "I should have been told. I should have had...the right to know."

The school's spokeswoman speculates the man the children saw was with a cable company doing work.

Jesse is considering taking her kids out of the school because of this.

Cape Coral Charter School Statement

During 4^th and 5^th grade lunch, three children reported that they saw a man outside the cafeteria with a camera. Our school immediately went into precautionary lock-down, we notified the police and the school district of the incident. We also searched the grounds and found no one suspicious around the building. Police did a thorough investigation as well and found no one suspicious. As an additional precaution, we had police stationed at the school for dismissal. The principal was just handed the note to call the parent back while I was on the telephone with her, so she is going to call her back and explain the situation. It did not directly affect any classrooms. There is speculation that the cable company that was working next door could have been measuring something or surveying and their tools and equipment could have been misconstrued as a camera. Parents were not notified of the incident because there was no real incident that occurred – only a precaution.

Matt Grant
mgrant@fox4now.com