Waukegan Mother Says 6-Year-Old Daughter Continues to Have Nightmares After School Directed Her to Walk Home
The Illinois mother of a Waukegan elementary school student is incensed because she says that Hyde Park Elementary School workers directed her daughter to walk home. Kandi Stone says her daughter Arejohnnae Powers, now 7, became so traumatized when she wandered on her own that she continues to have nightmares. Following the incident, Stone removed her daughter from the Waukegan elementary school and Arejohnnae now studies at home with a licensed teacher.
According to Stone, her older daughter arrived at the school to pick Arejohnnae up on September 15, 2008, but the young girl could not be found. Stone and other officials went looking for Arejohnnae. A relative reported finding the girl nearly two hours later.
Hyde Park school officials say they apologized to Stone and her daughter and remedied all policies that allowed the incident to happen. Principal Brian Carr says the proper steps were followed that day. The school office told Arejohnnae’s teacher that an older sibling was coming to get the girl and after school, the teacher told the younger girl to go outside with the other students.
However, no one was outside the school to pick Arejohnnae up because her older sister was waiting in the school office. The young girl ended up leaving the school by herself. The school says there were teachers supervising the school grounds but no one saw Arejohnnae leave the premise.
Schools, daycare centers, summer camps, and other facilities where children are placed in the care of adults are supposed to make sure that their charges are properly supervised and not placed in situations were they could suffer physical harm. The premise managers/owners are also supposed to remedy any conditions that could lead to injuries or death, including:
• Defective playground equipment
• Inadequate security
• Poor supervision
• Improper safety procedures
Waukegan mother says daughter, 6, was mistakenly told to walk home from school, Chicago Tribune, December 5, 2008
Related Web Resources:
Premises Liability, Justia
Failure to exercise this proper care can be grounds for a personal injury claim or wrongful death lawsuit if a child is injured or killed.
In Illinois, Chicago Personal Injury Attorney Steve Malman represents families whose children have been injured or killed as a result of others’ negligence.
