Miami, FLORIDA

A heart-breaking tragedy for everyone.

Jan 16, 2008 - A kindergarten teacher is under investigation after the accidental death of a 5-year-old. He was left on a curb in front of the school and attempted to walk home alone. Three days a week, the boy attended a free tutoring program run by a private company. The mother says she called and asked if she should pick up her son after school, but she said she was told he would be in the tutoring program.

There was none scheduled that day because the holiday break was near. [TT - The school calendar is online and school did not recess until a week later.]

School guidelines call for the children to be escorted to the main office to call home if a parent or guardian does not come within 15 minutes. In practice, teachers escort children to the curb and wait fifteen minutes with them. After that, the teacher returns inside and the children are left with a security guard. The children often stay there until the principal or assistant principal escorts them inside to use the phones. On the day of the accident, after waiting for about 15 minutes, the teacher returned into the building for a training session. A security guard was present.

The boy darted out into traffic and was struck by a car on Biscayne Boulevard, a block away from the school. The driver was not charged.

TT - Map from the school web site. Satellite view.