A Scarborough public school will be implementing new safety measures after a Kindergarten student left their classroom and walked home without anyone noticing.
The incident occurred on Monday at Knob Hill Public School, located near Brimley Road and Seminole Avenue.
According to a letter from the school, which was sent to parents, the child left the classroom, went to her cubicle, got dressed in her winter clothes and left the building without the knowledge of staff.
“She walked home where she was met by her mother who contacted the school to alert us,” the letter said. “Thankfully the student was found safe but as you can imagine it raised serious questions about how this could have happened.”
The school said it has now installed alarms on the doors to their Kindergarten classrooms and has increased the number of times head counts of students are conducted by staff.
The school said it will also “ensure that the class does not have two supply staff – as was the case on Monday – so that a staff member who is familiar with students is in the classroom with the Occasional Teacher or Early Childhood Educator.”
Students will also no longer be allowed into hallways without direct supervision.
The school will be holding a staff meeting and a review of student safety practices in light of the incident. They will also review the safety procedures with students.
“Although this was an isolated incident, the safety of our students is always a top priority at Knob Hill PS. We are committed to providing our students and staff with a safe learning environment,” the letter said. “Please be assured that our staff will continue to take any necessary steps to ensure this does not happen again.”
