My friends brother has a doozy. He was sitting at home on the front porch getting ready to go to work when who comes walking up the street? His five year old son...who was supposed to be in Kindergarten. He just says,"Hi daddy." So my friends brother asks him what he is doing and the boy tells him he wanted to come home, so he just left school. My friends brother loads his sone back up and takes him back to school. The boy had been missing from the school for half an hour now and....NOBODY noticed! This story could have ended SO badly, but luckily the boy knew how to get home from the school, and THANK goodness his dad hadn't left for work yet! Now, they are trying to decide what to do, change schools, go to the media, etc. This is crazy! What would you ladies do?
I don't know what all was said between the dad and the school, just that it wasn't pretty. :/ I do know they offered tons of apologies, etc. just don't know the extent of it. It just happened a couple days ago, I think they are still a little bit in shock about the whole thing.
MUM: No it was the middle of the day, dad works a later shift. So he was at school all morning and then left. The parents did get on to the boy about leaving school. Tell your friends to parent better? Really was that necessary? Jeez, I am sure your kids never did anything they weren't supposed to.
As far as I know they did not take anything to the media. They had a big meeting with the school and the principal.
Holy cow! Why doesn't the school lock the doors after arrival???? I thought that was pretty standard.
I would demand to examine the school policy on entering and exiting the building -- at the very least!
What did the school tell him when he took him back?
Oh I'd make a complaint to the school in writing. I'd then change schools. He also needs to sit down and have a discussion with his son about dangers and not leaving school
This happened once when I was working at our local elementary school! A first grade girl was mad at her friend while they were at recess, so she said she was going home and just walked out (there's a gate but it's not locked, that would be against the fire code.) There were two teachers on yard duty that day (including me) but of course with a hundred kids running around she was able to slip out unnoticed. It wasn't until the kids lined up to go back to class about fifteen minutes later that she was missed, and when asked where is Ella? her friend casually said she went home. Thank God she was found safely walking down the street on the other side of the ball field but OMG what a scare she gave all of us!!!
I think the dad should find out EXACTLY what happened before jumping to conclusions. It sounds like he must have slipped out during lunch or recess. I know gates/doors can be locked from the outside to prevent people from getting in, but like I said, it would be against the fire code to keep school exits locked from the inside.
First of all I would FIRST be very upset with my child. Mine all know better than to just up and leave anywhere before telling an adult.
I believe that it is very easy for something like this to happen. Kids are at recess for 15-20 minutes with a couple adults watching the masses. Their eyes can't be on everyone at every single second. Then they line up..get back into class and it would take a little more time before kids are all in a seat situation before students begin to say "Hey..Johnny is not here!" or for the teacher to notice one of her 25 kids is not there. Then they begin looking around and then contact the office.
Sooo, I can see how easily a 30 minute time period could lapse. If one of my 3 are missing at home it takes me a few minutes to locate.
I would not go to the media..that is just ridiculous. I would work with the teacher and the school administrators. Talk about how maybe they should take roll when they line up to head out to recess or lunch and then take roll again when they line up to come in. Stragglers are always out in the far field or in the restroom taking their sweet time.
At our school the kids get a number identity in their class. This is their number for the whole year. Then when ever they line up they get in number order. You always know there is a gap when the number is missing during number count down and kids get used to who should be in front or behind them. It is another layer for easily paying attention to detail.
Don't go the media route. This type of stuff happens often. We have had kids run away from campus at two of the schools my kids have attended.
Good luck and best wishes.
I would first tar my child for thinking it was a good idea to walk home. By five you should know to stay put.
What I wonder is did this happen during the bus transfer. A lot of parents don't bother calling in for their children so the school assumes the child is home sick and eventually calls the home to find out.
I only say this because there is a huge difference between thinking a child is absent and not realizing an already counted student has gone missing.
I'd be shocked if it was the first time I'd heard about something like this.
But - it's not.
I had a boss years ago who did the same thing when he was a child.
He decided he didn't like kindergarten, so when it was time to go to lunch he got at the back of the line and hid behind the door instead of going with class to the cafeteria.
He left the building through a side door and walked home (several miles away) and had lunch with his Mom.
She took him back and the school had no idea he was missing in the first place.
People thought he was in the bathroom, in the office, went to see the nurse, etc.
Sometimes it's the schools fault, but sometimes it's not.
Sometimes a child hides and when there are so many in a class and not enough adults looking after them all it's easy to go un-noticed.
I'd notify the school the child is an escape artist (so they have a chance to specially look after him), and then I'd make sure the child is punished for just up and leaving and so he knows not to do it again and that there will be consequences.
If it happens again after the first time, THEN it's time to escalate.
id pull my kid out of that school he is a KINDERGARTNER i would some what understand if he was in middle school or high school and did that but a little kid HECK NO i would be PISSED OFF i would do everything i could do to get things changed at that school because the teachers and staff must not of been paying attention for a kid to walk out of the school
WOW is right. That is an unbelievable story!
First, I'd have a massive heart attack, then I just don't KNOW what I'd do.
:(
Go to the media? Why?
What if something happened at your work and I was the customer.. did not like what you said or did and so I went to the media? Wouldn't you want me to speak with you first or your manager or the owner of the business?
Work with the school. Find out what happened. Ask the 5 year old.
This can happen. The doors and gates cannot be locked from the inside in case of emergency, so just like at home, the children are to be taught to never leave the school with out their parents or teachers permission.
This little boy is very fortunate he was able to remember how to get home and was not hit by a car.
I remember having to call the police and wait for them to show up, when I saw a VERY young child pushing a stroller down a street with an infant in the stroller.
I did not approach the child because I did not want to frighten her.
Come to find out the mom was in the shower and this little girl unlocked the front door and "took sister for a walk". I guess I could have called the media. But why?
Please give us an update and let us know what they plan to do. This is shocking to me. Like you said, so glad dad was home and the little boy knew how to get home. As for the school, whew... this is quite a case for too many children in the class, adult/children ratio way too high. As for the media, if its spun right, could do some good. This is could be seen as a failure on many levels. Very much would like to hear the outcome.
First of all, my son would be in HUGE trouble!!! I would be furious that he just left school. How dangerous!
There are so many variables that would have to be considered when deciding how to handle this. Did he even go into the school when he was dropped off? If he went to another class for P.E., music or art, those teachers don't always know if someone is absent and just assume the classroom teacher is on top of things and wouldn't question it if someone isn't there. Did he leave the playground? Did he just leave the classroom?
I would contact the administration office or superintendent so they are aware. I would also want to know exactly what the school plans to do to prevent this from EVER happening again. I don't see the point of contacting the media unless the school has a history of serious issues or if this has happened with other children recently.
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There are a few major details missing from your story. Exactly what time does dad leave for work and exactly what time did the boy show up?
If dad had not left for work, I'm going to assume that we're talking early morning. So it is quite possible the boy was never accounted for in the first place, meaning he skipped morning roll call. And if that's the case, do you know how many parents keep their kids home from school, for whatever reason, sick, dr. appts, etc, and then never even bother to call the school and report the child absent or late? And the school has to call them?
I think it's ludicrous that our society needs to blame someone so instantly. The boy spoke his intentions very clearly. He missed his daddy and he missed his home, and he acted upon that and left school and came home. Sounds very straight forward. The boy needs to be spoken to and re-explained the rules of being safe at school or safe at home. Apparently he thought it was OK to leave school and walk home.
You cannot blame the school for that mind set dear. WOW back..please tell your friends to start parenting better.
Something very much like that happened here in NJ last year. The boy walked maybe the length of 3-4 blocks and was stopped by some fireman just before he crossed a busy highway! I believe the media was involved and the teacher was fired. Really, a child shouldn't be unaccounted for for 5 minutes without someone looking for him. I know teachers are very busy but a kindergartener shouldn't be out of the classroom alone. In NJ at least, the bathroom facilities are part of the classrooms.
In addition to talking to administrators about how this could have happened, he should phone (or email) every school board member and make them aware of the incident. They're typically parents who could understand the situation if it would have happened to their child. Hopefully, then, they too would demand answers from the administration.
This happened to me personally. There was a teachers aid at my kids school a few years ago. I believe the kids were in K and 3rd grade, maybe 4th. Anyway, I knew the aid and she asked me if I didn't have any plans for the kids for summer she would be happy to watch them for me. So basically, we agreed on a price and she had them for about 6 weeks. She lived a couple blocks from us in some apartments by our community. Anyway, it was on July 1st and my hubby and I were moving from our home office into an office building. We happened to be home when the doorbell rang. It was our kids. I guess the aids mom told them to be quiet and if they didn't she would call the cops on them. So they got scared and LEFT!!! It only took them 6 minutes or so to get home and when I called, the aid was hysterical and her mom answered the phone. Basically, they didn't even KNOW the kids were gone! I was LIVID! It hit me later that night how lucky we were that nothing happened to them. I sobbed for hours. Luckily, I own an insurance agency so now I work from home all summers and spring breaks and I'm home when the kids get home. I will NEVER again have anyone watch my kids. I am so blessed that I don't have to worry about this again. I didn't talk to her again after that but gave her and her mom a verbal whipping that I'm sure she is still feeling years later. I don't know that your friends brother should go to the media but I would definately get to the bottom of what exactly happened and make sure there are things and place so it never happens again.
I'd definitely go to the media. This CANNOT be tolerated and I'd want to know if this happened at the school my son attended!
I would go to the school superintendent before I went to the media and give them a chance to explain or rectify the problem. This is how it's worked at our school.
"Chief" sits at the front door at a desk and monitors who goes in and who goes out.
The doors in the other parts of the building are on an electirc lock, so that they are locked throughout the day but can be unlocked in the case of an emergency. The only door that remains unlocked is the front door and it is guarded by a retired Air Force chief. There are cameras at every door, so that the comings and goings (in case of a system failure on the locks) of everyone in the school is constantly monitored.
He needs to go to the superintendent and then the school board and if that doesn't bring him any satisfaction, he should go to an attorney and then possibly the media.
I would take my son out of the school, for sure.
This issue needs to be addreess with school asap. Why isn't the father talking to the principal already? What is he trying to decide? Thank god the boy made it home ok.
I just noticed you have added the last paragraph. I would not be dropping off my child at this school.
I don't know. I've heard of this happening several times. What in the world are the schools thinking?
Last week I forgot to drop a diaper bag off at the special needs preschool. I went back to drop it off and figured I would need to ring a bell to be admitted. But no, the door was unlocked.
