RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond Montessori School told families it self-reported an incident to Child Protective Services where a toddler from the school ran into Parham Road, according to a message sent from the Interim Head of the School, Kimberly Waite to families Monday evening.
"As soon as we learned the facts, we sent out our school-wide communication and self-reported what happened to Child Protective Services,” Waite wrote.
CBS 6 is still working to find out when the administration at RMS found out a toddler had run into Parham Road where they were nearly hit by a car, how they found out, and how soon after they communicated the incident with families, including the family of the child involved.
So far, the school has declined to answer Melissa Hipolit’s questions about those details.
As we have previously reported, the driver who rescued the child on Friday, Nov. 22, around 9:30 a.m. worried the school might not tell the child’s parents or the school community about what happened.
So, he shared the video with Jon Burkett who did a story about the incident for Saturday’s 11 p.m. news.
WATCH: Father rescues toddler running along busy Henrico road: 'Someone needs to be held responsible'
One hour later, Waite sent a message to the school community telling them a toddler departed his teachers while walking outdoors on Friday and ran into Parham Road.
In her message sent to families Monday evening, Waite told parents she understands the frustration many have shared surrounding the timeline for communicating the incident.
She said she shared their frustration.
She also said the school took disciplinary action against the two staff members responsible for the child after conducting a review of everything that happened including the aftermath.
Waite added the incident highlighted that safety protocols that are in place are only ironclad if they are followed precisely, so the school is actively working to add more lines of defense.
The Virginia Department of Education is also investigating how this happened.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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