MONROE, N.C. — A mother in Monroe is pushing for answers after her 5-year-old son was able to walk out of school without anyone noticing.
The only reason she even knew was because a stranger saw him on the side of the road and dropped him off at home.
Julia Blackman dropped her preschooler off earlier in the week at Prospect Elementary. She walked him inside but he was home not even an hour later.
“That could have been the last time we saw him,” Blackman said.
Security cameras showed her son, Tobias, searched for his class after nobody was in his classroom when he first walked in.
The school told the mother the class was at P.E. but as Tobias kept searching he was locked out of the school.
“I was confused," Blackman said. "I didn't understand how he got out of the school. I didn't understand how he made it that far without anybody noticing."
Union County Public Schools released a statement to WCNC Charlotte about the incident:
The incident involving the student at Prospect Elementary is unacceptable and staff recognizes that this is a serious matter. We are thankful that the student was found safe.
UCPS staff and the school’s administrative team are responding to this incident by taking immediate action. As of today, safety protocols have been updated to strengthen gaps related to this situation.
“A parent should be able to trust that the school is going to keep their kids safe,” Blackman said.
The mother of three unenrolled her two children from the school and hopes better safety measures are added.
“With some of the things that happen at schools today, the last thing we should be worried about is our kids leaving the school undetected,” Blackman said.