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First-grader missing for an hour found sleeping under slide in Macomb County

By and Nour Rahal
Published  January 9, 2024 5:37pm EST
Macomb County
FOX 2 Detroit

First-grader left behind during recess, found sleeping under slide hour later

"I was scared," said Jamie Sheldon, who only discovered her child was missing after he did not arrive home on the school bus, as expected.

CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Macomb County first-grader was left sleeping underneath a slide for about an hour on Monday.

The mother of six-year-old Deandre Sheldon said she is frustrated with the staff at Joseph M. Carkenord Elementary School in Chesterfield for forgetting her child in the cold.

"I was scared," said Jamie Sheldon, who only discovered her child was missing after he did not arrive home on the school bus, as expected.

When Jamie called the school, she was put on hold "for about 5 or 10 minutes," she said. Eventually, staff "came back on and said that he was missing, and they were trying to find him."

Teachers searched for the boy and a police report was filed. Staff informed Jamie that De’andre went missing when it was time to come in from recess, around 3:30 p.m. 

Jamie realized her son was missing around 4:20 p.m., she said. No one knew where he was for about an hour.

"My immediate question to (the teacher) was, ‘Did you do a head count?' I know they always do a head count when they go from one building, outside, or to another building," Jamie said. "She told me her count was off."

Jamie then told the teacher, "you shouldn’t have entered the building" without all the students, she said. The teacher and the principal "just got silent. They didn’t have anything to say to me."

The playground of Joseph M. Carkenord Elementary School in Chesterfield, where Deandre Sheldon was left sleeping under a slide for about an hour.

Adding to her fears, the playground is not completely fenced in – so Deandre could have wandered off. 

"Mistakes were made – that’s all they kept repeating – that they were sorry and mistakes were made," Jamie said. "They said the superintendent was informed… They had enough time to inform  him, but not inform me, as the parent."

The school district, L'Anse Creuse Public Schools, responded to FOX 2 with a statement addressing the incident. 

"At the end of the school day at Joseph M. Carkenord Elementary School, staff noticed a student was not present at dismissal after outdoor recess. After a search of the bus and school, the student was found sleeping under a slide, never having left school property," according to the district. "The safety of our students and staff are always a top priority and we treat every incident seriously."

However, Jamie does not think the school handled the situation properly and wants action taken to ensure this does not happen again.

"Pay more attention," Jamie said. "(Staff) told me there were four teachers out there, and I know they have aids. There should be more eyes on the kids."