State officials are investigating after a first-grade student wandered away from a Haverhill, Massachusetts elementary school and onto the property of a waste treatment plant during recess.
The Department of Children and Families said the brief disappearance happened on Oct. 21 after the boy left Bradford Elementary School’s playground through a section of fence that was downed by a tree.
Authorities said school staff members realized the student was missing during a head count at recess. He was initially thought to be in the bathroom but was not there when personnel went to check.
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As authorities were alerted, staff members searched the school and surrounding area on foot and by car, according to DCF.
Meanwhile, a neighbor contacted Haverhill police to report an unaccompanied child. The neighbor said they followed the child to a waste treatment plant, where an employee secured the boy until police arrived.
Police reported that the call from the neighbor came in at 1:28 p.m. and a 911 call from the school was made at 1:36 p.m.
The DCF said it was "reviewing the incident and revising protocols" to ensure students are safe at all times.
