5-Year-Old In NH Leaves School, Walks Almost 2 Miles Home Unnoticed

NEWMARKET, New Hampshire (CBS) -- A school superintendent in New Hampshire was faced with concerns and questions after an elementary school student was able to leave the building unnoticed last week.

The student, a 5-year-old boy in kindergarten, walked nearly two miles home, his grandmother told WBZ-TV. She was home when he showed up during the school day Thursday.

"He did make it to the nurse's office and his class after that had gone to the library and I guess, he went back to his class and didn't see them there and just decided he was supposed to go home," Cheryl Ritchie, the boy's grandmother, said.

One car stopped as he walked along to ask if he was alright, he replied yes, then they went their separate ways.

Superintendent Meredith Nadeau wrote a letter to parents explaining the situation and assuring them that she met with administrators, the school resource officer, and the facilities director to examine the procedures in place.

"While we are confident that no individual employee involved in the situation acted inappropriately or engaged in a practice that differed from the practices that have been in place for years, this situation has helped us to identify practices that need to be changed," Nadeau said.

To start, attendance will now be taken at the start of every class period and teachers will make sure another adult knows every time a student goes between locations.

The boy's grandmother agreed that changes needed to be made.

"There should be somebody in the hallways watching doorways, as far as I'm concerned," Ritchie said.

Nadeau concluded her letter saying, "We want to assure you that we take the safety and well-being of your children seriously. We are working to utilize the lessons learned from this experience to strengthen our practices and related safety/security measures."