OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Just this week, Douglas County charged Greg Sedlacek - a Fontenelle Elementary teacher - with first degree sexual assault of a child.
Project Harmony says parents can find some silver lining in the disturbing incident, seeing it as a chance to talk about sexual abuse, even with your young child.
"The experts years ago said in their teens is when to start to have this conversation now it's more like 4,5,6 year olds is to when to have this conversation should happen," says Gene Klein, executive director of Project Harmony.
So when you sit down with your kid, what do you ask?
Well first, check with your kid to see if an adult might be grooming them.
"If your child is having special alone time or is getting gifts that seem out of the ordinary or their the special child in the classroom, and there's this interest in them is beyond what's normal...use your gut and step in," says Klein.
If you're suspicious of abuse, open ended questions are key.
Some examples are:
Can you tell me more about that?
What else was going on?
Who else was there?
Did anyone see this?
And if your child opens up, stay level-headed..
"Your reaction can also bring out a child disclosure or it can shut it down. So really being clear about how you're presenting this to your child," says Klein.
