This morning I had a meeting at 8:30, so we dropped our kids off at school a few minutes earlier than usual. The yard is supervised starting at 8:15, and it was just about 8:15 when we left (which is to say, the yard was supervised when we left my six year old there). We then left the school property and were about 100 feet down the sidewalk when we heard people calling, looked back, and my son was running down the sidewalk after us (long story short, because we were early when he looked around the yard he only saw daycare kids and thought he wasn't allowed to be there). So he left the schoolyard (one small gate), ran across what can be a busy parking lot, out past the teacher (I think she's the vice principal) who mans the driveway, and down the sidewalk after us. About a minute after we got to him the teacher manning the driveway and my other son's kindergarten teacher (she'd seen him run past, recognized him, and went after him) caught up to us but come on! I feel like this shouldn't have been allowed to happen - shouldn't the yard duty teachers be watching the gate? On the other hand, I know there's only a few teachers out there and hundreds of kids. Am I expecting too much? I just can't decide if I should call the school or have a talk with my son about how he can't leave the yard and if he has a problem he should talk to a teacher.
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This is very scary. You don't have to sign in your child? Maybe they should so the kids know they are being hand off?
I think they should be watching the gate.... and personally, I would have a talk with your son because he is old enough. -
@erinbaderin: does the gate close? If lots of young kids are hanging out in the yard, I'd think keeping it closed is the simplest solution. And I'd suggest that to the school.
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@bakingdoodle: There’s no sign-in. It’s a K-8 school, so there are a wide age range running around. Definitely agree that I also need to talk to my son.
@Mama Bird: No gate, it’s just a 3 foot (ish) gap in the fence.
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I would definitely talk to the school. I would first ask what level of supervision they are offering. If it is truly okay to leave your child at x time and the school is taking responsibility for them, then this was a big problem. I would want to know what they plan on changing in the future. I think at the absolute minimum, even if only a few teachers are out there, they should have someone at the fence opening.
I would also talk to your son about staying in that area and to find a teacher/staff member if he is concerned. Tell him you wouldn't drop him off and leave if he wasn't supposed to be there.
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Hmmm... my son's (K-5) school has multiple gates similar to this, really openings (probably 5-6) and none of them are manned (specifically) before/after school. Or even during. I know when I drop my son off that it's possible he could walk away from the school. There are hundreds of kids, and while I imagine playground aides are watching everything that's going on, I don't count on them to keep my child in the confines of the gate. If I were concerned about my child potentially walking away from the school, I wouldn't drop him off until later (not saying you should have--this was the first time it has ever happened--just saying I would assume it is my responsibility.)
I also live in a more free-range, let the kids figure it out area of the country, though. Things like sign-ins for school-age kids wouldn't cross anyone's mind. I do think the school has some careful language saying that while the playground is monitored after X time, school doesn't start until Y time. I'm not totally sure, though.
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Wow I guess it really differs based on school and region! Unlike some other posters our preschool is locked around the clock with a buzzer to get in, only one gate and one door is ever used for entry / exit, everyone signs in and out and I’m fairly certain a child comment figure out how to unlock the gate and escape! That being said, you don’t have to flip out just because you send an email or call the school. Just explain the situation and your concerns and see how they address them. Good luck! That’s certainly stressful.
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Our K-2 playground isn’t fenced and while manned by the aides, I’m sure a kid could slip away. I’d just talk to my son about following the rules.
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It sounds like at least a couple of teachers noticed pretty quickly and ran after him? If that's the case, while it's concerning that he was able to cross a parking lot, I wouldn't be too concerned about the overall level of supervision. Like you said, it's so hard for a few staff members to keep an eye on everyone. If it ever happened again, or if he had been running after you and no school staff had noticed, then I would address it with the school. Otherwise I'd probably just talk to my own child about it.
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Thanks for all the opinions, everybody! I did end up calling, partly just to understand for my own peace of mind how the yard is supervised - I do get that there is a lot of chaos and comings and goings! And for sure we did talk to him about not leaving the yard, talking to a teacher, etc. I appreciate all the points of view, it’s nice to be able to calibrate my own reaction with how other people would respond.
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I am jumping in just to add that our school (we are in the west end of the city, I recall you are maybe on the east side?) had a similar situation several years ago, and a parent called and voiced enough concern that an actual gate was installed. Now, during supervised times those gates are closed. I think it has helped the staff and parent community feel safer.
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@erinbaderin: I remember when my daughter started kindergarten, how unnerving it was that we just drop her off and that there aren’t eyes specifically on her at all times. In hindsight, I realize that it’s part of them growing up. Our kids get older and get more responsibilities and are trusted to not run off or get into unsafe situations. It really took some getting used to. School is definitely different than daycare/preschool!
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I’m glad you talked to them for your piece of mind. It sounds like they were watching if they went after him, that would make me feel good. Hopefully in the future he doesn’t do this.
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