|
On August 28, 2025, the Office of Childhood (OOC) received a report alleging that on August 28, 2025 at approximately 8:17 a.m., daycare driver Bree (no last name) dropped off Child A, age 7 years old, outside of the child care facility and left him without any supervision. The facility doors are locked until 8:45 a.m. After conducting the investigation, Compliance Inspector (CI) Cole Eddins finds the allegation is substantiated. This conclusion is based on the following evidence of licensing rule violations which occurred at the facility:
5 CSR 25-500.212(1)(A) which states: "The provider shall be responsible for the care, safety and supervision of children on field trips or at any time they transport children away from the facility."
and
5 CSR 25-500.212(3)(K) which states: "The operator of the vehicle shall wait until the child is in the custody of the parent(s) or individual(s) authorized by the parent(s) to receive the child."
On August 28, 2025, CI Cole Eddins interviewed Parent A and Child A. Parent A stated that Child A was left alone without adult supervision on August 28, 2025, at around 8:20 a.m. She first heard about the concern from Underwood Elementary Assistant Principal Julie Kubiak when she called her to let her know that Child A was found standing by the entrance doors alone without a teacher. Facility van driver Breanna Anderson had dropped off Child A 25 minutes before the school opened and left Child A alone in the circular parking lot. She heard that Child A was left outside for around two to four minutes before Julie opened the school doors and let Child A inside. Child A stated he was dropped off at the school entrance by Breanna in the circular driveway early that morning. Breanna drove away after he left her van. He was standing alone outside the school entrance doors for a few minutes before a teacher let him inside.
On August 29, 2025, CI Eddins completed an unannounced inspection and interviewed Director Justin Burmeister. Justin stated that on August 28, 2025, at around 8:36 a.m., he was made aware of the incident when the facility received a phone call from Underwood Elementary Assistant Principal Julie Kubiak stating that Child A was left outside their school at around 8:15 a.m. He heard that Child A was dropped off before the school opened, and Child A was found waiting alone in front of the school drop-off doors near the circular driveway. Breanna broke facility transportation procedures by dropping off Child A before the school opened and without verifying that a teacher was waiting to receive Child A at the door. Breanna did not make sure that Child A was properly supervised before leaving Child A alone at the school and driving away.
On August 29, 2025, CI Eddins interviewed Underwood Elementary Principal Chere Swearinger, Assistant Principal Julie Kubiak, and Secretary Sarah Mayfield. All staff provided consistent information. All staff stated that Child A was left without supervision for around two to five minutes on August 28, 2025, at around 8:15 a.m.. Child A was found after another parent called Sarah to tell her that Child A was left alone. School does not open to the children until 8:45 a.m. Child A appeared to be acting normally, and he was not injured in any way.
On August 29, 2025, CI Eddins conducted a walkthrough of the facility and observed the facility's transportation and procedure policy. In the policy, CI Eddins observed that the van drivers must maintain a safe and secure environment for all children and provide care that is in the best interest of each child. CI Eddins observed that the entrance doors were located 33 feet and one inch from the edge of the circular driveway.
On August 29, 2025, CI Eddins reviewed footage from August 28, 2025. On video one, titled Hallway video, the camera faced down from the ceiling, looking towards the entrance doorway when the video began at 08:15:27 a.m. Child A can first be observed walking to the front door from the circular driveway at 08:15:33 a.m. while Breanna's white van drives away. Child A can be observed through the double door windows. Child A paces back and forth while staring through the windows into the school's hallway until 08:19:28 a.m., when Sarah walks into view and opens the hallway doors. Child A was let inside the facility following Sarah's opening of the double doors and walking outside. According to video footage, Child A was outside alone for around four minutes. In video two, titled Driveway video, the camera faced down towards the circular driveway where parents and vans commonly dropped off children. The Driveway video began at 08:15:08 a.m., where Breanna's white van can immediately be observed on the far side of the driveway, packed along the curb. Child A can first be observed walking from the van at 08:15:14 a.m. towards the school along the sidewalk. Breanna's white van begins to move at 08:15:22 a.m. and leaves the driveway at 08:15:31 a.m. At the same time that Breanna's van disappears from the camera's view, Child A also turns towards the school hallway entrance doors and can no longer be observed.
On September 9, 2025, CI Eddins interviewed Breanna, who stated that she arrived at Underwood Elementary at around 8:15 a.m. on August 28, 2025, with Child A. Child A wanted to leave the van early and go inside the school. Another teacher was walking inside the school when, at the same time, she let Child A leave her van despite her telling Child A to stay inside the van. Child A just opened the door and left the van. Child A had done this before, but there were always other students outside when he left the van closer to between 8:45 and 8:55 a.m. She only observed one teacher outside when Child A left her van. She pulled up to the front door after he left her van and waited until he went inside the facility. She denied what occurred in the video footage and still claimed that she observed Child A entering the building with an unknown teacher.
|