Garner mom angry after 5-year-old walks home alone
GARNER (WTVD) -- A Garner mom is livid after her kindergartner walked home from school Wednesday and nobody from the elementary school stopped the child.
"My child could have easily been hit," said mom Christina Williams.
Williams says her older child did not show up at the school in time to pick up the 5-year-old and the kindergartner decided to walk home.
The kindergartner was not stopped by staff.
The little girl crossed the busy intersection at Aversboro Road and Timber Drive.
The Wake County Public School System is apologizing and admits there was a policy breach.
WCPSS issued a statement:
"The school takes responsibility for the incident and has taken immediate action to ensure the safety and well-being of all students. As a practice, the school does not allow kindergarten and first grade students to walk home unless they are accompanied by an adult or older sibling. This situation highlighted the need for additional measures."
Immediately after the incident, the school administration reviewed its procedures for student walkers and is making the following changes:
The school will require parents of all students who walk from school to complete a form and indicate if the child has permission to leave the campus on their own, walk with an older sibling, or if they're only allowed to leave the school campus with an adult.
The school will implement a color coded card system to serve as a visual indicator to our staff of which children are allowed to leave campus and which require an adult chaperone.
