AR - Unattended Six-Year-Old Walks Away From School

[southcitymom]

Seriously????

Um, hello! You don't send a 6yo wandering around the school alone!

If they need to go to the clinic or the library or back to the bathroom during playground time, they walk with a buddy. If he doesn't feel like taking a nap (WTF are 6yos doing taking a nap anyway???) then give him a book or something quiet to do.

When that child comes into the school, he is the teacher's responsibility. I was never allowed to leave my first graders unattended. When they went into the bathroom as a group, I stood outside, and you can bet your I'd walk into the boys' room if I heard them goofing around.

Our school has doors where you have to be buzzed in. Anyone can walk out for fire safety, but it makes a big noise and there is a receptionist. You can't get in any other way. A child walking around in the halls, especially a little one, would be noticed by the teachers whose classrooms are near the doors.

When I think of what could have happened to this child, it makes me ill. This is just as bad as caregivers who leave a child in a car or bus. NO DIFFERENCE!!! They weren't supervising him and he could have died.

Idiots.

Say it again, sister.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[DawnTCB]

Ok I finally found the story from my neighborhood. I don't think anything came of it that I can find....

 

[Jeana (DP)]

Seriously????

Um, hello! You don't send a 6yo wandering around the school alone!

If they need to go to the clinic or the library or back to the bathroom during playground time, they walk with a buddy. If he doesn't feel like taking a nap (WTF are 6yos doing taking a nap anyway???) then give him a book or something quiet to do.

In my kids' old elementary school, they're allowed to walk to the bathroom, etc. alone. I think 6 years old is certainly old enough to be able to find the bathroom, library, etc.

 

[Amraann]

Our school system isn't safe at all. I'm one of those parents who will pull my kid out of school for a rock concert or whatever I deem necessary (she's honor roll anyway, so it's not affecting her grades.) Ever since she was in elementary school, I could just walk on campus and get her - if I felt like it, I'd sign her out. The only thing they do is an automated call at about 9pm that says a computer generated name of your kid and "was not in school today." That's it.

If your kid didn't show up for school at 7am due to being kidnapped, no one would tell you until 9pm.

Really we get the call by 1:00

 

[Amraann]

In my kids' old elementary school, they're allowed to walk to the bathroom, etc. alone. I think 6 years old is certainly old enough to be able to find the bathroom, library, etc.

I disagree ... at that age the bathrooms should be in the classroom and anything else should be the buddy system

 

[angelmom]

In my kids' old elementary school, they're allowed to walk to the bathroom, etc. alone. I think 6 years old is certainly old enough to be able to find the bathroom, library, etc.

Depends on where it is. If the bathroom is in a "pod" type of environment, then sure. If the school is fairly secure, with one main entrance and a receptionist, then maybe going to the library is fine. You know about how long that takes, and you know when to start looking for them.

But clearly this child was allowed to wander - no return timeframe if he was just going to "look at the fish" - near the front door. IMHO, he didn't need a nap and was an annoyance to this teacher who was looking for some down time.

It's just stupid. Obviously a lot of 6yos do NOT know better, since on this brief thread we've had multiple stories of it happening.

 

[southcitymom]

I disagree ... at that age the bathrooms should be in the classroom and anything else should be the buddy system

It depends on the school setting. My 1st grader walks to the bathroom in a group, but I would be okay with him going alone and think most 1st graders could and should handle that. But, my guy is not the type to wander or get confused - he's very "on task" most of the time.

Still, all different 6-year-old types need to be considered in a school setting -as this thread shows. I think if a 1st grader makes it a mile home on foot without the school noticing his absence, the school needs to do some hardcore "looking" at their policies. What happened with this little guy is seriously not all right on so many levels.

 

[Al_B]

Down by Indy a bus driver left a child on the bus and had to face charges.
http://wthr.com/Global/story.asp?s=7131507

 

[angela]

I went to pick my 5 year old up from her schools after school program but when I walked in, she wasn't there. I asked the teacher where she was but the teacher hadn't even noticed that she wasn't there. School had been out for over an hour. I was freaking out. The school was essentially empty and a zillion things (all bad) were running through my mind. We couldn't find her. Her school is huge and the office staff wasn't much help and didnt seem too concerned. I searched the school by myself and found her in a cafeteria where a teacher had mistakenly sent her. My daughter was terrified and in tears. She realized she wasn't supposed to be there but didnt know what else to do, so she sat there. Needless to say, I was pretty angry. She no longer attends the after school program and never will again. I did get numerous phone calls and apologies from all teachers involved. I know it wasnt intentional but I cant take the chance again.

 

[Al_B]

all I know is if it was a parent they'd be charged with neglect period, when children are at school the school acts as gaurdians. Safe gaurds have to be met,so nothing worse then this can happen

 

[southcitymom]

It's interesting. I recently moved my oldest son from a very small private school (300 children from 2K to 8th grade) to a much larger public school (600 children from K5 to 5th grade). One of my main hesitations was "how can they possibly pay attention to all those children?" At the smaller school my son attended, I felt like every teacher/caretaker/after school assistant knew each individual child very very well - and they certainly knew where they were at all times!

But I have been so pleasantly surprised at this larger school. They are very well-organized even though they have so many young people to care for. It is true that it does not feel as personal as the smaller school felt, but I feel very well-informed and in the loop and I feel like my son is safe and looked after at all times.

Obviously, I have been lucky with schools so far. I swear I'd do a nut if my 6 year old showed up at my door, having walked home by himself, and no one at his school had a clue he was gone!

I know people who work at schools are human and humans make mistakes and most people on this board know I am extremely compassionate to human error, but this school needs to thoroughly investigate how this happened and make adjustments where necessary.

 

[Mr. E]

I'm sorry, southcitymom and everyone else, because this is OT, but 2K? Kindergarten for 2 year olds?

 

[southcitymom]

I'm sorry, southcitymom and everyone else, because this is OT, but 2K? Kindergarten for 2 year olds?

Oh, that's just what they call it - it's just child care for 2K and 3k. They start doing some letters and numbers in 4K. They just call everything before kindergarten the age plus K.

I mean, maybe that K-thing means something to overagressive academic parents (and I'll admit the school has a few of those), but I promise you it's sweet and lowkey! My youngest is still there in 4K and I love the place. But he is following his big brother to the larger school next year for kindergarten.

 

[mssheila]

Have we found out how this child was not missed for THAT long of a period of time? How long do you think it took for him to walk a mile in pouring rain? My guess is 45 minutes or so.

 

[txsvicki]

Most kindergarteners are just barely six and way too young to be walking around the school alone. Some are barely five years old if they were born earlier in the year. Teachers and teachers aides are paid to look after their safety as well as education. The child could have been killed and little kids wandering around school and bathrooms alone is how some have been molested by other kids right there in the school. The tax payers, city and state need to enforce that employees do their jobs and escort small children.

 

[Mysticchic]

My DD did this the third day of school..there was a door at the back of the room and she just walked out it. They found her a block away from school at a park playing. I was working that afternoon and they called me after they called the police. The park was the last place they looked for her. My daughter still thinks it's funny to this day that she did that. I'm still not amused about it. It certainly wasn't funny then and even 26 years later it's not funny now!

 

[mom3dd]

Ok everyone take a deep breath if you are really upset by this. When I was 5 I was riding my bike to and from school twice daily. Had to go home for lunch I guess I didn't like the food, or just wanted my mom. This was nearly a 2 mile ride. Sometime in elementary school I was approached by some "old" man once just rode as quickly as possible to the first house that I knew, reported it and went on with my life. (Must have really upset the parents). Fast forward to this year and my nephew 8 who is taken everywhere divorced parents, afterschool program, gets ticked off by his step mother crawls out of his bedroom window and walks to his moms house around 4 miles and crawls into his bedroom window there and goes to sleep. He could have been snatched, run over, but he wasn't.
The 6 year old knew where home was, was not happy with school that day and went home. He should have known better in fact I am sure he did know better. My biggest regret in raising my 3 dd is that I was overprotective They had a lot of catching up to do in the world because I was always scared they would be hurt. Guess what at 17,19, and 21 they still can get hurt. Worry about the things you can contorl and really are bad ABUSE< MURDER>DOMESTIC VIOLENCE all IMO

 

[Mygirlsadie]

That is true we do need to worry about what we can control and just teach our kids the best we can about being careful in this big ol world.. I remember one time when I was 8 and my brother was 10 we were in Hawaii and at the hotel we were staying in there was this old man who would invite my brother and I into his room and give us candy and money. We did this a few times until one day my mom saw us going into his room and came and got us out and was yelling at the old man. I (even at 8 & my bro at 10) had no clue why she was so mad. Obviously I know now...

 

[angelmom]

mom3dd, my point and the reason I AM upset by this is that if this child had been hurt (kidnapped, murdered, molested, hit by a car, whatever) we would have been all up in arms about all of these same things. Why the teacher let the child wander for a long period of time. I'm guessing a good 30 minutes to an hour, at least, and she still didn't notice he was missing. Someone returned him, right? Why he wasn't missed. Why he was able to walk out without anyone noticing. Why he wasn't with a buddy. Why no one seemed to be supervising this child at all.

When the state requires you to send your child to school, then they have an obligation to keep him safe there. Getting hurt at school is just insult to injury, almost like when DFCS takes a child into protective custody and then the child is harmed. The state is controlling the parents and child, and then failing to protect the child. Miserably, in some cases.

This is an opportunity to learn before the tragedy strikes, which is what we always wish we had had afterwards. And if the school was doing mea culpas and asking forgiveness, I'd say, "Wow! They learned a cheap lesson." But since they don't sound like they're taking any of the blame and acting like it could happen to anyone, then I think it merits discussion.

 

[mssheila]

Why the teacher let the child wander for a long period of time. I'm guessing a good 30 minutes to an hour, at least, and she still didn't notice he was missing. Someone returned him, right? Why he wasn't missed. Why he was able to walk out without anyone noticing. Why he wasn't with a buddy. Why no one seemed to be supervising this child at all.

I've been repeating this same point of discussion.... am I invisible?