Five-Year-Old Leaves Elementary School Unnoticed

A Waterbury mother is demanding answers after her 5-year-old son walked out of his elementary school this week and wandered off without anyone noticing.

“I am so mad... words cannot explain how mad I am,” said Gilda Webber.  She was still fuming after her child walked right out the main doors at Walsh Elementary in Waterbury Tuesday morning and wandered off. “What kind of nonsense is that?”

The kindergarten student crossed the street and ended up at his home about a block and a half away.  His father found him knocking on the front door.

“We could have had a drunk driver run him over. Someone could have kidnapped him,” Webber said.

As soon as Webber found out, she called the school demanding an explanation. “The principal didn’t even know he left. Nobody knew a 5-year-old walked out of the school,” she said. 

This was a big concern for district officials. “Safety is our highest priority,” explained Paul Guidone, Waterbury schools Chief Operating Officer. 

He said Cody left during an assembly all students and employees attend at the start of each day. Guidone told NBC Connecticut that the schedule will change as a result of Cody's walk out. Students will now go to their classrooms so teachers can keep track of them. 

Someone is now assigned to watch main doors at all times.

But Webber said the new safety measures came too late. ““This is not something I’m going to sit and take lightly... You think I’m going to sit there and send him back?”

The district said all changes should be in place by Monday.

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