An angry mother said her 7-year-old child was forced to walk home from his Moncrief school for 2 1/2 miles.
It was a call that no parent wants to get.
“The office was calling the school and couldn’t find the boys,” mother, Shameka Sims said.
Sims said her 7-year-old couldn't be found after dismissal, but before she could run out of her home to try to find him there was a knock at the door and it was her son.
A Duval Co mother is livid after she says her 7 year old was forced to walk home from school @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/JpsrtgtHb3
— Danielle Avitable (@Danielle_NBC4) April 30, 2018
“I said what do you mean you walked? You walked all the way from the school home? He said, ‘Yeah mom my legs hurt, can I have some water?’ I just started crying. I was so mad,” Sims said.
When Shad got to the door his mom said he was begging for water and said his legs hurt. She says she went straight to the school board @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/jYxa8MlvOT
— Danielle Avitable (@Danielle_NBC4) April 30, 2018
Shad said he went to the office because he knew his aunt would be late to pick him up, but a teacher told him to walk home.
“I tried to ask her to go to the office, but she said no,” student, Shad Anderson said.
He had to cross busy intersections and even go under this overpass before getting home.
“My baby walked from 46th Pearl Street to 36th and Moncrief which is approximately an hour walk, 2 and a half miles. I was livid,” Sims said.
Action News Jax used the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office crime mapping tool and found that in the past week there have been 23 assaults, 10 thefts and a homicide near the area that her son walked.
She tells me this is path her son took home from school. He had to cross busy intersections and go under an overpass @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/6aBvrAEtRs
— Danielle Avitable (@Danielle_NBC4) April 30, 2018
“He could have been kidnapped, he could have been murdered, he could have gotten lost,” Sims said.
Duval County Public Schools sent Action News Jax the following statement:
"Thank you for reaching out to me. This incident certainly raises concern, and we looked into it with the school to figure out what happened. While student privacy laws prevent us from discussing this incident, the school is aware of the situation and has communicated with the parent to resolve the issue. Whether car rider, bus rider or walker, there are protocols in place for parents to designate specific instructions that control how students are released from school. This incident shows how important it is for schools to have up-to-date residency information on all students and clear parental guidance on how their children are to be transported. For the safety of students, any modifications to dismissal instructions must be made in writing by the custodial parent or guardian, not verbally. We encourage parents to notify schools immediately of any changes in residency, contact information or dismissal instructions. As always, we would like to share our appreciation to the parent for contacting us directly and working with us to best meet the needs of her child."
Sims said that the principal from North Shore elementary called her to apologize, but she still wants something more to be done.
“We can do better and we can maybe put some enforcement some rules so this doesn’t happen again,” Sims said.
Cox Media Group
