Parent speaks out after man allegedly takes photos of child during a school field trip

SOUTH BEND, Ind. --- Parents are on edge after a man allegedly took photos of their kids during a school field trip.

The incident which took place at the Kroc Center in South Bend last Friday has left many parents from McKinley Elementary demanding answers from the community center and school officials.

“I felt that our kids should stay kids as long as possible and I felt like that was violated when that particular person was snapping photographs of our children not just my kid, but other students and other kids," said a parent who wanted to remain anonymous.

The parent says the uncomfortable interaction should have been reported to police immediately.

“Even if they didn’t go any further with the situation. At least that then they would’ve had his name and you know hopefully he didn’t have anything else in his phone pertaining to kids, but we just never know," said the parent.

The mom, who filed a report with the South Bend Police Department, claims a teacher on the trip asked the man to delete the photos, but she worries they can still be recovered on their phone.

The South Bend School Corporation told ABC57, "A letter was sent home to parents, informing them of the incident. The person taking the photos was a member of the Kroc Center, and the staff of the Kroc was informed immediately of the incident by one of our teachers there."

In a separate statement, Senior Kroc Center Officer John Gantner tells ABC57 — "It is against the Kroc Center’s rules to use a camera in our facility. Signage around our building, including the pool area, makes this policy clear. As soon as it was brought to our attention on Jan. 7 that our policy had been violated in the pool area, our safety response team was activated to diffuse the situation. Our team talked to all parties involved to ensure their safety and privacy."

The South Bend Police Department is investigating.