“Stranger Danger” training: What you should tell your kids

FORT MYERS, Fla.- Would your child know what to do in a “stranger danger” situation? With two attempted abductions this week in Fort Myers, the risk could be closer to you than ever.

Noah Guak, with the United Martial Arts Academy, says he can help. Every week, Guak and his instructors teach defense classes in some Lee County elementary schools.

“Practice, practice, practice,”

The first step, Guak says, is to use your voice.

“We tell them loudly, say ‘stop,'”said Guak. “‘Stop! She’s not my mom, he’s not my dad.’ Then everybody can hear.”

If you can, Guak says your first instinct should be to run, but in case you can’t … in that ‘stop’ position, your hands are already up, making sure a stranger can’t touch you.

Guak says if a stranger is able to grab your wrist, look for the weak point in their hand, the thumb. He adds if a stranger is pulling you, don’t pull away, but rather push into them to throw them off. In the worst case scenario, strike back.

Self-defense is not all the Lee County School District does to protect your children.

“Four simple rules: it’s ‘no,’ go, yell and tell,” said Deputy Diego Orjuela.

Schools like Mariner Middle School have resource officers that go into classrooms to teach other stranger danger skills, like observation.

“I have a teacher come in and hand me something, walk out the classroom. I tell them, don’t say a word, go ahead and write down exactly the description of that person,” explained Orjuela.

Those skills came in handy this week with two separate attempted abductions in Fort Myers. Both times, the children were able to escape and tell adults what happened. The school district says despite what kids learn in school, parents still need to speak to their children about stranger danger.