Question re: kids left after school hours

leepinlizzards

Thank you all for your responses.  I am removing all original content and my replies.

littlemermaid

If the child goes to an after school activity(sports practice) then it is the responsibility of the coach to make sure everyone is picked up.  The coaches are not to leave the school until all the children are picked up.

If you are talking about just regular pick-up from school then parents have 15 mintues to show up.  There are several teachers assigned to each of the exit doors and they must wait the 15 minutes at their respective exit door.  If a child is not picked up in that time they walk the student back to the main office and the parents are called.   The child waits at the main office with the office staff until the parents arrive. 

indigo91804

What ages/grades are you talking about? 

My 2nd grader has been left at school once (whoops) and they were calling me about 10 mins after school let out to let us know. A friend graciously gave him a ride home. Both my kids teachers walk them out to the bus/parents and they have to make contact with the pick up person before they can go. Neither school would allow a child to stay and would be on the phone quickly until someone was contacted. Now it is elementary school. I don't know what they do in higher grades.  

CamJack mom

Our school keeps people on staff to make sure they arent alone. If parents abuse this system (consistently late picking up the child) they are sent a letter informing them that unless they enroll their child in after-school care, CPS will be called for child abandonment. We've never actually done it,but the letter ususally scares the crap out of them. I work at an elementary school K-6.

leepinlizzards

Thank you all for your responses.  I am removing all original content and my replies.

littlemermaid

leepinlizzards:

It's a K-8 school.

It's becoming a problem because parents are not showing up until 5PM to pick the kids up.  We (the board) would like to amend the handbook with a set policy as the same teachers and administrators are constantly having to cancel their plans.  Thank you for your input.  I appreciate the ideas and will be working with the director to start writing this amendment.

Does your school have an after-school care program(latch key type program).  If the child is not picked up within a reasonable amount of time then the child should be brought to the after school care program and the parent has to pay for the amount of time the child was there(my school has an hourly rate).

leepinlizzards

We have an independent program run through the YMCA.  However these kids are not registered and there for the YMCA will not allow them to participate for liability reasons.  I'm going to speak with the director on Monday and find out if there is already a program to deal with these situations.  If so we must start enforcing it.  If not I will find out what she and the social worker recommend.

MrsSR

Elementary teacher here-

If I drop a child off and no one is there to pick him up, I take him to extended care.

I do not leave any of my students unless they are under someone's supervision.

If there wasn't an option for extended care, I would take the child to a phone and call people on his contact list until someone was able to pick him up.