The parents of a child who was accidentally taken home by another child’s grandparents have hit out at the school’s sloppy security system.
Grandad Joseph Fuller (65) arrived at Edisto Primary School in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, to collect his six-year-old grandson. Having spotted him near the school’s gym, he gave the child a hug, signed him out of school early at the school’s front office and brought him back to the car, where his wife was waiting.
When asked by a teacher if the man was his grandfather, the child said yes, it was.
The grandparents gave the child a Happy Meal and drove home as normal. It wasn’t until they arrived at their house that they realised something was amiss:
“He had a tooth missing in the front, and I know my grandson did not have a tooth missing in the front,” Mr. Fuller told a local news agency. “Immediately, I brought him back to school, and I am very sorry.”
According to the official school report on the matter, the child’s parents bear no ill will towards Mr Fuller:
“The mother was concerned, but relieved that the situation was handled and corrected.” read the report. “She admitted that the [grandfather] resembles her father and saw how her son also mistakenly thought he was indeed his grandfather.
“The students had similarities in haircut style and features, but not in weight or height.”
However, the child’s father Darrin Pressley is furious that the school could allow a stranger to take a child without fully checking their identity:
“If they didn’t bring him back my son could’ve been gone,” Pressley said. “It’s gross negligence on the school’s part. My thing is, you know, have a prevention so this could never happen again.”
The school plans to build new entrances during the summer holidays and have improved the system for checking children in and out in the meantime.
All images: WIS TV
