'It's pure neglect': Ontario mother says school left her five-year-old son outside in the cold

The mother of a five-year-old boy who was allegedly left out in the cold following outdoor playtime at an Ontario public school last month is accusing staff members of neglect.

"The whole situation is upsetting. It's hard to comprehend how this happens in schools," Peterborough resident Jennifer Hopkins told CTV News Toronto on Tuesday.

On Jan. 24, Hopkins said her son was playing with his classmates at R.F. Downey Public School in Peterborough during outdoor playtime in a designated student area. Once playtime ended, Hopkins said her son discovered that the doors to re-enter the school were locked.

Hopkins said her son managed to open up a nearby gate and decided to walk himself home. The preschooler was spotted by a man who accompanied the boy around 1 p.m.

Temperatures in Peterborough on that day reached a high of – 8 degrees Celsius and dipped as low as – 12 degrees at the time of the incident.

“He was just crying and he was ice cold,” Hopkins explained.

The mother said she immediately contacted the school and asked if they were aware that one of their students was missing. She said they were not.

Hopkins said she then made contact with Peterborough police, who later determined that there were no grounds to lay any criminal charges.

According to the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, which oversees operations at R.F. Downey, staff members accounted for all students before returning to the classroom.

"We take our commitment to student safety very seriously. This was a significant incident that school staff responded to with urgency and care, both at the time and afterwards," the board said in a statement to CTV News Toronto.

Moreover, they argue that the doors in the student area where pupils were playing were open at the time of the incident.

"While the doors in this student area where the students were playing were open for entry to the school, we remain deeply concerned that the student was able to leave school property," the statement read.

But Hopkins said she takes issue with that explanation.

“To call it an accident, you know, when it's pure neglect. It just it makes me upset because I feel differently,” Hopkins said. "The teacher should have known better. They seen him that morning. When I dropped him off.”

As a result of the incident, Hopkins said she has worked with the board to relocate her son and seven-year-old daughter to another school.

The board said it continues to review the incident and has since implemented additional measures for exit and entry processes during playtime.

However, Hopkins said she still has questions for the board and is pushing for the staff members involved to be held accountable. Also, she said she is speaking with lawyers and considering legal options.

"He's going to need some help and reassurance that nothing like this will ever happen to him again," she said.

With files from Mike Walker