Kindergartners wander off school grounds, school district refines protocols

ROSEVILLE, Calif. (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - Two boys wandered off campus, down busy streets, back to one of their homes.

"They said, 'We’re going to run fast. As fast as we can.' And then, they ran," said one of the boys's grandmother.

Words that will haunt a grandmother from Roseville, California, located in Placer County, forever.

"I just keep thinking, 'I could have lost my grandson.' Every time I think about it, it chokes me up. I could have lost my baby boy," the grandmother expressed.

"This is not urgent"

The boys' respective families is questioning how it could've happened in the first place.

"They are two five year olds that walked a mile from the school, crossed a busy road. What if it was your kid, how would you react? Would you be nonchalant about it?" asked Kevin Russell, one of the boys's great-uncle.

Russell says the district hasn’t given them enough information. They don’t know when exactly the kids walked away, or how long staff had been searching for them.

"Lunch starts at 11:03[am] and the mother, my niece, got a call at 12:40[pm] and stated 'This is not urgent and please give me a call back,'" Russell shared.

"A totally different outcome"

The district released a statement saying, "Site and district staff immediately connected with the families involved and have had multiple conversations over the last week to examine the situation and refine protocols."

"They noticed my grandson gone at 11:40, and she was not contacted right away," the grandmother remarked.

The family says they weren’t notified for over an hour.

"This would have been a totally different outcome if they had been kidnapped, hit by a car...It’s transparency," Russell explained.

Installing additional alarm measure

In response to prevent further incidents like this, the district vowing to install additional alarm measures for exterior gates.

The family visited the school and found signs propped in front of a gate.

"It shouldn’t be about what we did wrong. It should be about what we do to prevent this in the future and sandwich signs are just not that," Russell detailed.

Calling for changes so no parent has to feel fearful ever again.

"It’s not fair for parents to send their kids to school and worry about them leaving," Russell described.

"I am so thankful there was a guardian angel watching over those boys," the grandmother shared.