MAGNA, Utah — A Magna mother is calling for stronger safety measures after she claims her 5-year-old son left school without supervision and walked home alone.
Amber Adams reached out to FOX 13 News this week and shared how she went to pick up her son, Carter, from Pleasant Green Elementary School a little early on Wednesday, something she claimed to have done previously.
“I get there with my other two children, and I don’t see my son anywhere,” Adams said. “The teacher says, ‘Oh, he’s already left the classroom,’ and I’m like, OK, but I don’t panic straight away," Adams explained.
But panic set in as the minutes passed and Carter could not be found.
“I sat there for 25 minutes; we don’t know where he is, no one can find him,” Adams said. “They sent the vice principal in her car.”
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Eventually, Adams said they learned Carter was already home.
She said Carter had walked out the school's front door instead of going to the office. According to Adams, the walk home takes about 20 minutes and requires crossing two main roads.
“Nobody was watching him, waiting, nobody walked him from his classroom, nobody was watching him to make sure he came into the front office,” Adams explained. “He went right out the front door and came home.”
The Granite School District said in a statement on Thursday that it is actively reviewing the situation.
"It appears that the student was informed they were being checked out, but left the building instead of proceeding to the front office," the district said. "Student safety continues to be our primary concern. We sincerely regret that this incident occurred and the school has already made adjustments to their procedures to ensure this doesn’t happen again."
“I was just really concerned that he would take the wrong turn or get hit by a car, and predators look for these things: small children walking unattended,” Adams said. “It’s really scary.”
Adams said the school has since sent emails saying there will be no pickups after 3:15 p.m. and that they're considering putting fencing up.
“I think every school should implement safer structures on these doors,” Adams said. “I’m just glad he’s safe, but I encourage the school district and every school district to do something about this."