Parents Must Use Password To Get Kids From School

Just as they need a PIN number to withdraw money from an automatic teller machine, some Florida parents now must use secret passwords when picking their children up from school.

No password, no kid.

With so many fragmented families in the community, schools have become a battleground, where parents, grandparents and other family members try to snatch children for whom they don’t have legal custody.

School teachers and office workers say they’ve been forced to become psuedo-police officers, guarding students from feuding family members.

And they say it is a daunting task to keep track of who’s legally entitled to take home some 250,500 elementary and middle students in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

“Everyone is so paranoid when someone comes to the office to pick up a child,” said Helga Finnigan, a Boca Raton elementary school principal. “In the past five years, safety of school children has become a major issue that we’ve been bombarded with.”

And although schools try to be vigilant, their systems aren’t foolproof. Sometimes, a conniving family member can sneak a child out of school.

Many schools have what they call “hot files” - thick dossiers on students, who are involved in custody battles or remain in the state’s protective care because of abuse and neglect.

Not everybody is pleased about the increased security measures. On average, school officials say they deal with at least a couple of disgruntled parents or family members each month.

Parents who do not have custody rights often show up at school demanding to take their children with them.

“We have parents who come in and rant and rave when they learn they can’t take the child from school,” said Finnigan, from Addison Mizner Elementary. “They scream and holler and threaten to call their lawyers and the police.”