CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga.,None — A local family said they are furious after their preschooler was discovered walking near a busy road in the rain.
The family said the girl was supposed to be in after-school care, but staffers didn’t realize she had wandered away.
Sade Cutchin said she is reeling after learning about the danger her daughter was in Tuesday evening.
“For this to happen is extremely disturbing, hurtful and scary,” Cutchin said. “Anything could have happened to my child. She’s my only child.”
Cutchin said her 4-year-old daughter was at the after-school program at James Jackson Elementary School in Clayton County.
Cutchin said the principal told her the preschooler asked to go to the restroom and then wandered outside. She walked from the front door to within feet of busy Mt. Zion Boulevard when her father, who was coming to pick her up, spotted her.
"She was soaking wet in the rain and cold. No coat, just her book bag," Cutchin said. "Come to find out the doors were wide open, the doors were not locked and she just walked out the front door."
The family said staffers did not realize the young girl had wandered away.
“A teacher should have seen her walking alone before she got to the door and asked her where she was going,” said Cutchin.
The family said in an ironic twist, security at the school is tight during the school day.
“No one can get in or out of that school during regular school hours, and after school the doors are wide open?” Cutchin asked.
The child’s grandmother was also upset by the incident.
"Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes, but I'm glad she's here. But it just goes to show security doesn't mean anything if it doesn't work," said Christine Ellington.
School officials did not respond to Channel 2's request for a comment on the incident. Family members said the school's principal was apologetic and promised change.
The family has filed an incident report with the Clayton County Police Department.