Lowell Sun Editorial: Two Thumbs Up

A 12-year-old Littleton girl remains safe today thanks to her parents’ observations and willingness to investigate what they considered to be suspicious behavior.

After finding extra clothes and money in their daughter’s backpack, the parents decided to read her e-mail and, to their horror, discovered she had been corresponding with an older man for months and planned to run away with him. They called police.

While some people might argue the parents invaded the daughter’s privacy, we have no doubt they made the right decision. Police discovered the man was a sexual predator who was planning to sexually assault the child and post explicit photos of her on the Internet.

This frightening scenario should serve as a wake-up call to all parents. Don’t be afraid to question children, or even to search their belongings, e-mail and text messages. If parents suspect something is wrong, they may well be right.

Children may be angry at the intrusion, but it’s far better to err on the side of caution than to forever regret having taken no action.

Dracut School Committee member Mike Miles‘ idea to ask former schools chief Elaine Espindle if she would be interested in serving as interim superintendent is a prudent recommendation.

Espindle would be able to hit the ground running and, with current Superintendent W. Spencer Mullin retiring in the middle of the school year, that is of particular importance. Espindle is also known for her budget acumen and, like most districts, Dracut is dealing with financial constraints.

Putting Espindle in the interim post would also save the town money, as committee member Bonnie Elie noted. Pension laws dictate that Espindle would only be able to earn the difference between her retirement pay and the current salary for the position.

Although the School Committee ultimately decided to advertise the interim position, we hope individual committee members will approach Espindle and encourage her to apply.