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Mom says 5-year-olds were taken off campus without permission

SNELLVILLE, Ga. — Some Gwinnett County parents say an unauthorized class walk off-campus was dangerous and what students were allegedly doing on that walk amounts to exploitation.
 
The parents claim their children's first-grade teacher at Snellville's Integrity Christian Academy took students off campus to hang fliers advertising for the school's summer camp.
 
Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh heard from two mothers who said the walk began with first-graders cutting through a broken fence into the neighborhood off Lenora Church Road.

On Friday, Kavanaugh found the summer camp fliers still taped to mailboxes up and down Parkside Way.
 
"I just feel the school was totally irresponsible by taking him there," said mom Sherry Hooker.
 
But Hooker was equally upset about what her 5-year-old said he and his classmates were doing.

"He said he was responsible for hanging the poster and one of his other classmates was responsible for taping them," Hooker said. "She's using them to work for her own financial gain."
 
Kavanaugh called the principal at Integrity Christian Academy. At first she said she wanted Kavanaugh to speak to the school's attorney. She called back and said based on legal advice, the school would not be making any comment at this time.
 
Hooker sent Kavanaugh an email she said the teacher sent to all first-grade parents.

It says, in part, "There was a miscommunication as to what took place during this walk." It goes on to say, "I apologize that this 'surroundings walk' was misunderstood."
 
Hooker also showed Kavanaugh the letter the principal sent home to parents. It said it was brought to their attention students were taken off campus "without prior knowledge or permission of the school."
 
"I'm thinking anything could have happened to them," Hooker said.
 
Kavanaugh spoke to another mother who did not want to be identified. She said her child told her the same story about going for the walk and taping up the fliers.