Excuse Me, Is That A Cloud Crossing The Highway?

This is the stuff that makes my skin crawl.  I've had to go through some mighty stupid stuff in Baton Rouge right after Katrina left schools devastated.  There is no excuse for this.  The first hour of a child abduction is the most important, after that survival rates drop dramatically.  This school wasted that hour trying to cover their ass at the expense of a child's safety.

School officials tell us that the teacher sent Cloud to the front office for dismissal, but he never showed up.

“When they sent the third person looking for him, that’s when my heart sank. I knew something wasn't right,” says Koria.

Koria said 45 minutes passed until school officials finally admitted they could not find the kindergartner.

“That's when I freaked out. Took my two girls, looked down sidewalks,” says Koria
School officials say teachers started searching for Cloud then called police.

But the first time Elizabeth City dispatch got a call from the school about the missing child was at 1:44--almost an hour after he was let out of classroom.

By then, a good Samaritan already found the wandering child.

Nathan Birdsall lives four blocks from the school. He is amazed the kindergartner was able to cross the busy highway before getting into the neighborhood.

So we have school stupidity, a mother's nightmare, and a busy highway with dozens of witnesses and not  a single phone call.  The article covers the other call, I can only assume a flood of concerned callers would have warranted a mention.  So how the hell does an elementary school student cross a highway in broad daylight after walking out of a school, and get zero response?

Every single person who did nothing should be ashamed, from school employees all the way through until we get to the person who took in a crying child.  Thank God it wasn't someone of lesser ethics, because nobody gave a damn about this kid for at least an hour and in the wrong hands that could have been a lifetime.  And kudos to the good Samaritan, because I have to say I'm really leery about even looking at other people's kids for fear of setting off Angry Mommy Radar.  Considering the circumstances, that took bravery and conviction.  I'm glad to hear someone had it together.