LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Parents are expressing their frustration with the staff at a Las Vegas elementary school after their children wandered off campus during recess and were subsequently found hours later at a nearby coffee shop.
The two girls who left were both 7 years old, second-graders at Tobler Elementary School.
One of the children involved was the daughter of Christian and Lauren Peña. Speaking with 8 News Now, they expressed the need for policy updates, pointing out that the teachers didn’t realize their daughter was missing.
“Somehow they managed to wander off over here, jump this fence and then walk to Dutch Bros.,” Christian Peña said.
It’s difficult for the Peñas to comprehend how their daughter went unnoticed for over an hour and a half at Tobler Elementary on Tuesday. They were informed there were no surveillance cameras covering the area where the children climbed over the fence.
“There was no footage available, and no one noticed that they were missing. My question is, how can a child wander off and the teacher doesn’t realize there’s an empty seat in the classroom,” stated Christian Peña.
Tobler Elementary is situated at the intersection of Buckskin Avenue and Torrey Pines Drive. There is a Dutch Bros. coffee shop located about half a mile away on Cheyenne Avenue and Torrey Pines Drive.
The Peñas recounted their surprise when the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department contacted them on Tuesday after personnel at Dutch Bros. informed the police about the two girls’ presence.
“I’m still in shock. Obviously, my main thing is that my daughter is safe, and also her best friend is safe. I’m just hurt,” Lauren Peña said.
Sandra Morales’ daughter was the other student who walked away from Tobler Elementary on Tuesday.
Both parents said something serious could’ve happened to their children, and to add salt to the wound, administrators at Tobler are punishing the girls.
“They’re blaming my daughter. It’s not my daughter’s fault,” Morales said. “She’s a little girl. A child is curious and wants to experiment.”
Morales said she’s traumatized over the experience.
The Peñas are keeping their daughter home until they decide whether she will return to Tobler Elementary. Morales’ daughter is back at Tobler and can no longer go outside for recess.
The Clark County School District confirmed to 8 News Now they’re investigating the incident.
Both parents told 8 News Now they want Tobler Elementary to raise the height of the fence near the school, so kids aren’t allowed to escape.
