Orléans school investigating how 4-year-old wandered away

An elementary school in Orléans is investigating how a four-year-old student wandered away last week without staff noticing.

Two members of the public found the boy walking alone near École élémentaire catholique​ Arc-En-Ciel early Wednesday afternoon, according to Guy Dubois, its school board's superintendent of education.

The boy told them he was walking home, Dubois said.

The adults accompanied him there, then called police and the school to ask if one of their students was missing.

Upon realizing that the boy was indeed a student at the school and was not in class, school staff picked up the child and brought him back to school at the request of his mother, Dubois said.

The boy was not harmed.

"Right away, we made sure that this child was OK," Dubois said.

"This incident will help us improve our systems because there's obviously something we need to adjust."

The school board has also launched an investigation and has scheduled a meeting for school principals this week.

School apologizes

Arc-En-Ciel principal Julie Cloutier said school officials are taking the situation "very seriously."

"We are sorry that this situation has occurred and we recognize that we need to improve our monitoring practices," she wrote in a letter to parents on Sunday.

Dubois said the boy likely wandered away during a transition between two periods.

Since the incident, he said staff have reviewed school yard security and monitoring.

"We've made sure that our procedures are tighter," he said.

"We've also made sure all of our staff during recess are wearing orange vests so children know where the adults are."

The school is also working to reassure parents, letting them know what new measures are being put in place.

"Students are our business and we want to make sure they're safe and well at school," he said.

"We're working hard with the parents and the community to make sure this doesn't happen again."