ROCK HILL, S.C. — A mother is furious after her first-grade son walked out of a Rock Hill elementary school Friday morning and no one alerted her.
Nicole Vargas, whose son Quinn is a student at Northside Elementary School, said her son left the building, crossed busy Dave Lyle Boulevard, and was half a mile away on Laurens Street before someone noticed him and helped.
“I called the school because no one alerted me that my child was missing,” Vargas said.
Vargas said her 6-year-old walked out of his classroom and out the front door unnoticed.
“This is the life of my child,” Vargas said.
About an hour into the school day, a friend called Vargas at work and said he found her son out walking the streets.
Quinn crossed three railroad tracks.
While school is supposed to be a safe place for children, Vargas said she has lost all trust in Northside Elementary School.
"They did fail my son, and I feel as though this can happen again,” Vargas said. “Multiple people saw him and were calling it in to the school.”
Vargas also called the school, outraged they didn’t call her.
Vargas said school officials told her there was an event at the school and the front door was open due to all the activity.
"He stopped and talked to another teacher on the way out,” Vargas said.
The school district didn’t tell Channel 9 much about the incident, but district officials said they are investigating.
Vargas said she wants changes at the school, but in the meantime, she is grateful her son survived.
"I could have lost him today,” Vargas said. “He could have gotten hit by a car. A predator could have picked him up, and they didn’t think to call me. There’s something wrong with that.”
Vargas said Quinn told her he was walking home to pick up something he'd left behind.