A three-year-old boy walked home alone from his Washington preschool, trekking over 100 yards after his teacher lost track of him.
Ana Maldonado, the child’s ‘completely heartbroken’ mother, was outraged that her son was able to leave Tukwila Elementary School so easily two weeks ago.
She is now demanding answers from the teachers and administrators whose safety measures failed so abysmally.
‘[It’s] horrible because if he wouldn’t have come home, I wouldn’t even know that he was in the streets.’
Little Giovanni, 3, wandered away from his bilingual preschool class after he went outside to grab something.
According to Maldonado, the teacher didn’t look for her son because she was concerned about the teacher-to-student ratio.
‘I was broken when she said that,’ Maldonado said. ‘I was like, you would seriously not chase after a three-year-old.’
After leaving the school, Giovanni journeyed home alone, covering more than 100 yards.
When he showed up at the front door during the school day, his mother was stunned.
‘I was like, “How are you home? Why are you here? School isn’t over for another 30 minutes.’
Maldonado was frantic, and she called the school district for some clarity.
‘I was in shock. I didn’t know what to do or say.’
The school administrators informed Maldonado that the alarm that prevented children from leaving campus wasn’t working.
The mother said this answer ‘completely broke’ her heart.
‘I’m trusting you. I’m leaving you my kids,’ she said.
‘I’m going to work. I expect them to stay in a safe spot, but yet your protocols and your gated system was not working.’
Although Maldonado remains frustrated with the school, she is relieved that her son returned home safely.
The district said that it conducted an internal review and investigation following the incident. They assured residents that they are always working to ensure student safety.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Tukwila Elementary School for comment.