A four-year old boy walked out of the Hennessey Early Childhood Center in the middle of the day and started home “because he wanted to get home to his momma,” said his mother, Ashli Cooper.

“We thought he went to recess and lunch, but he crossed Oklahoma and Mitchell Road,” she told Hennessey Board of Education members at their Monday night meeting.

“It was at lunch time and I can’t believe someone didn’t see him.”

The incident happened “a couple of weeks ago” after a motorist unknown to the child stopped, and picked him up, and “he gave the man directions to bring him home,” she said.

“He walked three miles. … and almost had a heat stroke,” his father, Ryan Cooper, said.

It’s unknown at press time when the school noticed the boy was missing.

Board members were aware in advance of the meeting about the incident, and Superintendent Dr. Mike Woods said he asked the couple to come to the meeting.

The Coopers said they didn’t want this to happen to anyone else and asked the board to step up the security at the center.

Board members expressed sympathy and thanked the Coopers for being calm and helpful about the situation, and for their suggestions to make the center secure.

“There are no security cameras at that building so we could not have seen when our son left the building if that gentleman hadn’t picked him up,” the father said. “We wouldn’t have even known in which direction to look.”

The parents said once someone exits the building that they can’t get back in “and they are 10-feet from the street … We have twins so we know how quick they can get away from you.”

They suggested retractable gates, fencing along with exterior cameras because “all doors go right out to the street and into the traffic.

“We have put in bullet-proof glass and spent so much to keep people out and keep kids safe,” said Woods. “We have interior and exterior cameras in our new facilities.”

“We can build a Dome and spend money to wrap a bus so surely you can find money to make the center secure,” said Ryan Cooper.

“You’re right,” said Dr. James Matthew Matousek, board president. “We don’t think about those things until something happens. Safety has been this board’s major concern.”

There was talk about changing the pickup area and it could cause delays for parents picking up their children.

“I’ll wait five more minutes to feel safer about our kids,” said Ryan Cooper, whose father, Dean Cooper, sat next to him.

Board members Cristopher Choate, Luke Lough and Matousek agreed that Woods should come up with a plan as soon as possible. Early Childhood Center Principal Stacey Schovanec read off a long list of procedures that teachers and aides came up with and are using, including: student counts re-checked each time they leave the classroom, students given assigned seats at lunchtime and their names will be taped to the tables, students will line up alphabetically, arrows on floor pointing to the office, stop signs at all exits.

She said key fobs for staff to come in and out were also suggested, along with fencing.

Board Vice President Joe Garrison attended the meeting via Zoom videoconference, and member Patrick Griffin was absent.

In addition to Schovanec, other staff in the audience were Principals Angela Avila (Mid-High School) and Barry Crosswhite (Elementary), and Technical Director Todd Cameron.

In addition to the Coopers, there were other parents at the meeting.