AIBU to be wary of helping this little girl?

[whatsupsis]

On Monday we had an email from school regarding an incident they had been made aware of by the police. A year 8 girl waking to school was stopped by a woman in a car and the girl panicked before the woman spoke to her. She ran to a local shop and called the police. Reports in the local media later that evening asking for witnesses. School said in the email they do not know what the woman’s intention was but asking us to talk to kids about stranger danger.

im at school now. The SEN kids get out an hour earlier than the rest of the school. They have all gone home in their taxis or been met except for one little girl. I’d say year 8 or 9. She’s walking u and down the front of the school and looks terrified or close to tears. I know she wi have ASD or something similar so is probably really frightened. I’ve phoned in to tell the receptionist but so far no one has turned up to help her.
Im really wary of asking her does she need help. What would you do? AIBU to just watch from afar? Should I approach and try to help her?

@whatsupsis Yes, shocking indeed but sadly predictable. In all honesty, if I wasn't a parent with my own children present then I am not sure I wouldn't hesitate to help another child, even if I knew them. A random one - who knows?

But then I get angry about why I think like this. And, push come to shove, could I really abandon a child who I perceive to be at risk in order to protect myself?

I'd like to think that there are enough other parents and authority figures within my community who would vouch for my integrity as a default until they were presented with actual evidence to the contrary. Unfortunately, rationality and logic are poor responses to folk devils and moral panics and, while I'm fairly certain I could ride out any unwelcome accusations myself, I have my own children to think about too. I hate that I think - or more precisely calculate - like this, but helping another child is no longer the instinctive reaction it once was.

I'm aware of the incident you've mentioned as the statements the police put out were so weird but obviously designed to reduce tension.What a strange world we live in but you assisted the child as best as you could.