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FOND DU LAC, Wis. (AP) — Officials at a Fond du Lac elementary school are apologizing after a first-grader was accidentally locked out of his classroom during a drill.
The 6-year-old Waters Elementary School student didn't hear the announcement of the drill when he was in a bathroom, Reporter Media (http://fondul.ac/1xpzO48 ) reported. The classroom was dark and the blinds were drawn when he returned, according to the boy's grandmother.
"He knocked on the door and no one answered. He knocked again and again and there was no answer. He tried other rooms and no one would let him in. He was terrified and confused," she said.
Marian Sheridan, coordinator of school health and safety, said the protocol to check bathrooms during the drill was not followed.
"We are sorry this happened with the little boy, of course. It had to have been very scary and I understand that," Sheridan said.
Since the incident, the school has re-evaluated the way it conducts drills so similar incidents don't happen. The situation could've been avoided if the bathroom sweep was conducted, according to Sheridan.
"The district and Principal (Kathy) Daniels took this complaint very seriously and we always hope to improve," she said. "It was a learning experience."
The boy's grandmother said she's glad it was only a drill.
"I am appalled, horrified and ashamed that a teacher would leave a child standing in the hall. I would have opened the door and quickly pulled the child inside," she said.
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Information from: The Reporter Media, http://www.fdlreporter.com
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