5-year-old kindergartner leaves Fort Worth elementary school during lunch, later returned by Good Samaritan

A community member found the 5-year-old after the student left Rufino Mendoza Elementary unaccompanied and safely returned the child to school.

FORT WORTH, Texas — A 5-year-old kindergarten student left a Fort Worth ISD elementary school unaccompanied during lunch Monday before being found by a community member and safely returned to campus, district officials confirmed.

The incident happened at Rufino Mendoza Elementary School. Fort Worth ISD did not provide details about how the student was able to leave campus or how long the child was away from the school.

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“The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority,” Fort Worth ISD said in a statement. “Fort Worth ISD is aware of an incident involving a kindergarten student who left campus during lunch on Monday. The student was safely located by a community member and promptly returned to school.”

District and campus administrators are reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident and will take any necessary steps to strengthen existing safety protocols and procedures, according to the district.

Fort Worth ISD did not identify the student or the community member who found the child.

It was not immediately clear where the student was found, how far the child had traveled from campus or how much time passed before the student was returned.

The district did not provide additional information about what specific safety measures were in place at the time or what changes could be made following its review.