‘Perfect storm’ led to boy’s long journey
Calling it a perfect storm of circumstances, Kamloops-Thompson school district Supt. Terry Sullivan said new procedures will be put in place to ensure a situation like the one the Steinley family experienced last week doesn’t happen again.
Five-year-old Dainen Steinley was left behind by his day-care provider when staff in the front office of Bert Edwards science and technology school in North Kamloops said the youngster had not been at school that day when the child was actually playing in the schoolyard.
Sullivan said an early dismissal, new staff at the school that day and Dainen being unaware only the front door would be unlocked led to no one noticing he had been forgotten.
The boy couldn’t get into the school when he tried and, in tears, walked the three kilometres to his house, a trip that took him several hours to complete.
Sullivan said he has met with the boy’s parents, school principal, office staff and teachers.
“Everyone is upset,” Sullivan said.
“We have checks and balances in place to make sure it doesn’t happen and what happened shouldn’t have happened.”
New systems and checks are being put into place to ensure that “even with a perfect storm, it doesn’t happen again,” Sullivan said.
“And I think that’s what the parents wanted, too, just to be sure it doesn’t happen to another little guy.”
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