3-year-old walks home alone after kindergarten teacher loses him, mom says

TUKWILA, Wash. (KIRO) – A mother in Washington state wants answers after her 3-year-old son wandered away from his preschool.

Fortunately for the family, the child managed to walk home independently.

Ana Maldonado is cherishing being reunited with her son after she said his teacher lost him and he wandered off campus.

“Horrible, because if he hadn’t come home, I wouldn’t even know he was walking on the street,” Maldonado said.

The mother said her son Giovanni attends a preschool program at Tukwila Elementary School.

Less than two weeks ago, Maldonado said her son showed up at her front door in the middle of the day after traveling more than 100 yards from the school.

“I was like, ‘How are you doing at home, why are you here? School isn’t over for another 30 minutes,” Maldonado said.

Then she called the school district,

“I was in shock. I didn’t know what to do or say,” Maldonado said.

Maldonado said the teacher told her she lost her son after he went outside to get something, but she didn’t look for him because of the teacher-student ratio.

“Oh, I was heartbroken when she said that,” Maldonado said. “I was like, you really wouldn’t chase a three-year-old?”

The mother said her son’s bilingual class has two teachers and 18 students.

She said she also learned from the district that the alarm, which prevents children from leaving campus, was not working.

“Which completely broke my heart. Because I trust you, I leave you my children,” Maldonado said. “I go to work, I expect them to stay in a safe place, and yet your protocols and your locked down system didn’t work.”

The district said it conducted an investigation and internal review following the incident and is always working to ensure student safety.

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