CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A Chesapeake family is grappling with unanswered questions after they say their young son walked out of school.
Daniel Todd recounted the incident, stating his son was dropped off at Portlock Primary School last Tuesday, a typical start to the day.
"My son checked into school, and he went to go get breakfast as it’s mandatory," Todd said. The 7-year-old kindergartner headed for the breakfast line before proceeding to his classroom.
However, things took an unexpected turn.
“He passed his classroom, and then he turned around. Didn't want his food, so he threw it away, and then he left,” Todd explained, revealing that his son had left the premises.
An hour later, Todd’s son resurfaced at home, accompanied by two strangers, one of whom was an off-duty school bus driver who helped return the child safely.
"Nobody knew where he was, and he popped up at the house with two strangers about an hour later,” Todd said, expressing his confusion. “How he got out of the building, how anything went down with it.”
Todd is now calling for increased security measures at the school.
“Usually in the morning, there's a uniformed officer sitting over there,” he noted.
Chesapeake Schools issued a statement confirming the incident, while also emphasizing student privacy. The statement read in part: “While we cannot provide specific details due to student privacy laws, we can confirm that the student is safe. Ensuring the safety of our students is always our top priority, and we take incidents like this very seriously. We are reviewing the situation internally to ensure all appropriate protocols were followed.”
The school system said it providing the family with support and resources.
This incident follows a similar occurrence in Elizabeth City earlier this month, where officials reported a student walked out of Central Elementary School and was found by a driver along U.S. 17.
“I think if they would have had classroom doors open and more noise, he would have been distracted and wouldn't have made, you know, that wrong decision,” Todd suggested regarding potential preventative measures.
He urges parents to have open conversations with their children about safety.
“Always be straightforward with them. It might laugh at you, but be grateful they laugh because they have no understanding of that bad stuff,” Todd said.
