A family is searching for answers from a Santa Clarita school after their 5-year-old son was found wandering near a fast-food restaurant about a mile from his elementary school.
Oliver Epstein, 5, was spotted walking along a busy thoroughfare on Nov. 4 while his parents thought he was in after-school care. The child’s nanny was pulling into a McDonald’s when she spotted the little boy all by himself.
At a school board meeting Tuesday, Natalie Epstein fought back the tears as she relived the day her 5-year-old son wandered from school without any teachers or administrators noticing.
“I just envision him walking, like away. Where did he go? Like, was he looking for our home? Was he looking for me?” said Natalie.
Brett Epstein, Oliver’s father, says his son is typically dismissed from North Park Elementary School at 12:25 p.m. and then heads about 10 feet away to after-school care. But around 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 4, Oliver’s nanny, Martha, spotted the boy walking on McBean Parkway roughly a mile away from the school.
The nanny says she took the boy home, who she found crying.
“Our nanny, Martha, happened to be driving by to enter McDonald’s because she had our other daughter with her who was requesting to go there. So had that happened, Oliver would have been unattended for even longer,” said Brett.
“That makes me sick to my stomach cause I can only imagine how scared he was by himself,” said Natalie.
The nanny called Brett, who then called his wife.
“And he said Oliver is not at school, he’s on the sidewalk. And I said that’s impossible,” said Natalie, who then called the school. “To the supervisor, I said, ‘Brett just called me and said Oliver is on the sidewalk near McBean and she said, ‘No, he’s here.’”
Moments later, little 5-year-old Oliver came walking in through the garage with his nanny.
“They never checked on my son, they never said, ‘Hold on a second, let me go see if he’s here.’ Never,” said Natalie.
Saugus Union School District Superintendent Colleen Hawkins addressed the incident in a statement, saying in part: “When district staff was alerted to the situation, an investigation into the incident was immediAtely conducted after confirming that the child was safe and with their family. Based on what we learned from this incident, appropriate corrective action has been taken, including but not limited to improvements in student supervision protocols and in securing facilities. We are thankful that the student was safely found as we understand the seriousness of the situation. Further, we regret the concern and frustration this incident caused for the family.”
The Epsteins are now moving Oliver to another school and hope to raise awareness with their troubling experience that still haunts them.
“It’s been very traumatic and a blessing that he was found,” said Natalie.
Source: NBC Los Angeles
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