Shortly before 6 a.m. most weekdays, I drop off my daughter at her school for volleyball practice. I wait to make sure she is safely in the school building before I drive away.

As a mother, it comforts me to watch her walk down the main hallway of her school. Lately, in light of news reports alleging a couple of teachers have been sexually inappropriate with students, I've begun to wonder if my trust has been misplaced.

Are our kids safe at school? Statistically speaking, it is where they are the safest. Many kids get more supervision at school than at home or other organized activities. Crime rates climb in the hours that students are out of school. This means students can get into trouble when left to their own designs.

My concern is with the teachers, administrators and school employees with whom our children spend their school days Who's monitoring their conduct?

The vast majority of Utah teachers have the best interest of students in mind. My children have had some fantastic teachers. They have been strong advocates for my children in every sense. They have handled themselves appropriately and most have been positive role models.

The numbers of Utah teachers who act out against students sexually is very, very small. But these cases tend to get a lot of publicity and that can make school communities uneasy.

I've come to believe that it is impossible to keep pedophiles out of schools or any other place that children congregate. Background checks help to weed out people who have been convicted — even charged — with sex crimes. Yet, it's not foolproof because many people can offend multiple times before being caught. When they are caught, there are many checks in place to ensure they never teach school again.

Why doesn't that comfort me?

It troubles me because, as a parent, I'm forced to place my children in charge of their personal safety. Instead of knowing for a certainty that every person who works in a school has my child's best interests in mind, I must teach my child to look out for red flags. In particular, there's something amiss when someone many years older than you pays special attention to you. They should be interacting with people their own age. When they're not, there's usually a good reason.

Yes, teaching a child to be aware of danger is part of parenting. But I also know how the adolescent brain works. It's flattering when someone older pays attention to you. All reason is readily checked at the door.

People who teach, coach and counsel adolescents are aware of this phenomenon, too. Most go to great lengths to protect their young charges.

But the advocates and protectors can't be everywhere at once. Then, we have to rely on those adolescent brains. And that can be downright frightening.

Marjorie Cortez, whose crush on her junior high career exploration teacher was unrequited, is a Deseret News editorial writer. E-mail her at Marjorie@desnews.com