Child wanders off from school, found in roadway

BROADALBIN, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A scary Monday for mother Ashley Crewell when her son’s school called to tell her he had wandered off. Where he was found is even more alarming.  Her 7-year-old special needs son walked off the Broadalbin-Perth elementary campus and wandered into the middle of the road. She's thankful a stranger intervened and got the child to safety.

“I don't think anybody even noticed he was missing until somebody brought him back in, and he was found by a woman sitting in the parking lot.” Ashley Crewell says her son was missing from about noon until 1 p.m. on Monday.  She said the school did not call her until 2 p.m. “They basically said it was a courtesy call to call me, mother to mother.”

From there, Crewell says the call continued to make her question how things were handled.  “And, they had enacted a protocol, and they couldn't tell me what the protocol was,” said Crewell.

“Apparently, they have a missing kid protocol. From what I'm understanding they're supposed to call the police, but they didn't. They didn't have their student resource officer file any paperwork or nothing,” said Crewell.

NEWS10 reached out to the sheriff and state police. Both say they have no record of the incident.

However, in a letter to Crewell, School Board President Chad Egan says, “Our administrators are also meeting immediately with all staff involved to review the protocols in place and ensure they are understood.”

The concern for safety is being felt by other students' parents as well.  Reina Perez has a 7-year-old child in that classroom, too.  “I feel like if this can happen to her son, it's possible to happen to mine,” said Perez.  

And she, too, would like to see some changes made. “What I would like to see happen is more safety precautions for our kids with disabilities that can't vouch for themselves or can't speak for themselves. We advocate for our children, and I really hope that new safety precautions will be put in place,” said Perez.  

In the same letter to Crewell, Egan says the school intends to “add an additional aide to the playground area during transitional times to monitor the north side of the playground. We are also assessing the feasibility of additional fencing.” The board president goes on to say that “While we can't go back and undo previous mistakes, we are taking action to learn from this and be better in the future.