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Ronald Lisk wasn't alarmed the first time he called to make sure his two daughters had gotten home from school Thursday.
They didn't answer, but he said he thought 15-year-old Kristin and her 12-year-old sister, Kati, might be getting the mail, said Capt. Pat Sullins of the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office.
Then he called again. And again.
Not getting an answer was odd. Lisk and his daughters always called each other after the school buses dropped the girls off.
"Unfortunately with this family, they didn't get that call,"said Cathy Winchester, a Spotsylvania extension agent. "They knew something was up."
Winchester teaches a class called "Strong Families, Competent Kids" to fourth-graders in the Spotsylvania school system. One of the first things she tells them during the lesson on latchkey children is to check in with parents, a relative or a neighbor when they're home alone.
About 75 percent of the children in her classes have been left home alone for at least a short while, she said.
Calling lets parents know if the children are home safe. Lisk, for example, tried to contact his daughters for an hour, then drove home to check on them. He found one of their book bags in the house, and the other in the front yard. But the girls were gone.
"It's easy to forget sometimes that it may not be safe at home," Winchester said. "With the warmer weather, people are outside mowing the lawn and working in garden. They may leave their doors open and their houses can be broken into."
She teaches parents and students that they need to be in tune with surroundings. Children will often tell her that they've seen a strange car or van in their neighborhood, but don't always tell their parents.
"The more you are aware of oddities in your neighborhood, the more help you can get," Winchester said.
She also tells her students to stay with friends as long as they can while walking to and from their bus stops. They should also be aware of what's going on around them as they walk.
One of the first things Lisk did when he discovered his daughters were missing was to call their friends. Then he called the school and the Sheriff's Office.
Deputies, firefighters, rescue squad workers and a number of search dogs have been looking for them ever since.
Winchester also tells her fourth-graders to go straight home and lock the door. They shouldn't let callers know if their parents aren't home, nor should they open the door to strangers.
"I call a lot of kids," she said. "I'll ask, ÎIs your mom home?' They'll say, ÎNo' or ÎShe's in the shower.'"
Children shouldn't give people a reason to call back, Winchester said. They'll usually figure out that the child is home alone if he has to give another excuse. It's better to say they're not available, and take their name and number so the parent can return the call.
"That way the child has handled that person," she said. "They can call the parent at work."
She tells students not to answer the door, either. If a stranger knocks, they should leave the door shut while asking who it is.
"Some kids will tell me they can't talk through a door," Winchester said. "I'll ask them, ÎWhy not?' If the door is locked, you're in control."
She tells them to ask sales people to leave business cards in the mailbox or to offer to call for directions if someone says they're lost.
"If people still bother you at that point, it's up to you to call 911 and say a stranger is at your door and ask if they could send a police officer."
"A lot of us take our safety for granted," Winchester said. "It's a great world we're living in. Occasionally there are bad people in it. We need to work harder to ensure our safety."
Winchester will hold a one-day Stay Safe camp for children ages 9 to 12 on June 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Spotsylvania Fire Station, Co. 1. The cost is $10. To register, call the Spotsylvania Extension Office at 582-7096 by June 2.
