DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County mother wants to know how her four-year-old son walked out of Rockbridge Elementary School without anyone noticing.
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“Not knowing where he was and who had him, it was terrifying,” Mercedes Dill told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington.
Dill said on Aug. 29 her son Micah, who is in pre-K, got up from his seat in the school cafeteria and walked out of Rockbridge Elementary.
“He just walked out of the school. (He) crossed the parking lot and went into the neighborhood,” said Dill.
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A stranger’s Ring security camera captured the boy going from house to house, looking for his mother.
“With him being autistic he’s not going to say... hey, I left the school at 7:45 am, so he was knocking on the door looking for me,” Dill explained.
A good Samaritan found Micah and called the police.
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Washington contacted DeKalb County Schools.
A school representative sent the following statement:
Our top priority is the safety and well-being of all DeKalb County School District (DCSD) students and staff. On Thursday, August 29th, despite the efforts of Rockbridge Elementary School staff, a pre-kindergarten student managed to leave the school during lunch.
The school activated emergency protocols to locate the child. Despite exhaustive efforts by our administrators, staff, and DCSD Police, the student was not located on school premises. A missing child report was broadcast to all area law enforcement agencies.
Fortunately, the student was found by a good Samaritan who contacted DeKalb County Police. DCSD Police arrived and safely reunited the child with their family at the school unharmed.
Due to student confidentiality, specific details of this incident cannot be disclosed. The District is working with the child’s family and conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this incident. Meanwhile, two school employees are on administrative leave pending its outcome.
“I’m not angry with the teachers, he has great teachers. Something could have been done to stop him from going out of the school and not getting hurt,” said Dill.
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