Teachers tread lightly discussing classmate’s disappearance

By Amanda Finnegan

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008 | 1:45 a.m.

Teachers at Stanford Elementary, 5350 Harris Avenue, let students know Monday that classmate Cole Puffinburger was home safe.

But over the days Cole was missing, school staff and counselors at the 6-year-old's school set out to address the fears and concerns of fellow students.

"A lot of teachers were asking how students felt about the situation," said Michael Rodriguez, spokesman for the Clark County School District.

Rodriguez said counselors were on hand to talk to students about any fears they were feeling. Only one or two students approached school counselors, Rodriguez said.

Memos were sent home to parents with children at Stanford Elementary as a reminder to talk to their children about the situation. The memos also provided some basic safety tips.

Rodriguez said assemblies and workshops are done throughout the year to inform students of general safety measures, such as calling 911 for help, identifying police officers and staying away from strangers.

"In terms of talking about the situation with Cole, teachers never talked about it in past tense. It was always, 'a little boy from our school is missing and we hope he returns to our school soon,'" Rodriguez said.

He said kids weren't distracted by the kidnapping, adding that students weren't aware of everything that happened with Cole and his family.

"In all, teachers were not going into details about the case or who or what was involved," Rodriguez said. "It was more that a student was missing and we hope he returns soon."