What Penn State should teach us about keeping kids safe

During the height of college football season, Penn State should be making news for the cool things their student athletes are doing on the field.  Instead, Penn State is fighting to find a way to move forward in the midst of a scandal that has severely damaged the reputation of the institution, and the trust parents put in school officials when they send their children miles and miles away to earn a college degree.

This past June I was lucky enough to be a finalist at the 2011 Miss Indiana Pageant and I remember how one of the judges really pushed me to explain the importance of my Happy Kids Safe Schools platform.  We only got to talk about my platform for a few minutes, mostly because state interviews are limited to ten minutes and the other judges had their own questions, so I hope that judge remembers me and Happy Kids Safe Schools as he reads about what is happening at Penn State.  Happy Kids Safe Schools is focused mainly on how to rid our schools and community and bullying, but a big part of my Happy Kids Safe Schools message is about encouraging kids and parents to report bad behavior to police and school officials.  I call this taking as stand, and I want everyone to take a stand against behavior that hurts our kids, no matter if it is bullying or the unspeakable abuse that is said to have occurred at Penn State.

"To protect our children from violence and abuse, anyone who sees or knows about a crime against a child must report it to local authorities.  Right now, the federal government and 32 states have no such requirement in law."

Senator Barbara Boxer of California said that while talking about the Child Protection Act legislation that she introduced this week.  Barbara Boxer's statement really drives home the point: we have a long way to go when it comes to taking care of our kids.  Take a stand in your community today be getting involved in your child's school, contacting your representatives and taking steps to fill our neighborhoods with Happy Kids and Safe Schools.