UPDATE: Helicopter over High Point

| Helicopter | High Point | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

4:12 PM: Thanks for the texts. So far all we know is that Guardian One is helping search for a missing person.

4:23 PM: Search over. The missing person, a child, was found safe at home.

Midi December 3, 2021 (4:15 pm)

We are so spoiled by the WSB, I hear a helicopter and I know to check here first. They certainly are circling around quite a bit, hope they find the person

Arch December 4, 2021 (5:22 am)

We really are! Always my first stop when something is going on.

Jerry Hoffmeister December 3, 2021 (4:23 pm)

Police are driving up and down 26th as well.

n7oep December 3, 2021 (4:24 pm)

Just heard via SPD radio the child has been found, “walked home on his own”.

Trickycoolj December 3, 2021 (4:25 pm)

They’re flying low enough to rattle the windows.

Delridgefriend December 3, 2021 (5:06 pm)

It was a child from Louisa Boren STEM, I’m pretty impressed with the response. School was over at 3:30 and child was reported safe at home at 4:30. Glad we take child safety seriously!

Negligence in SPS December 3, 2021 (5:21 pm)

This was a kindergartner who walked from Louisa Boren STEM a mile to their house without any staff being aware they’d lost a child!!!! Multiple Middle School children can be seen leaving the school and walking down Delridge in groups when I wait for the Metro midmornings. As a parent of two attending STEM I will be emailing the Principal Ostrom to ask how he plans to keep my kids safe and in school. Just waiting for my heart rate to go down first.

Delridge friend December 3, 2021 (5:44 pm)

I suggest you advocate for better funding from our state and federal government, so that schools can be better staffed and supported. Schools are doing there best, and the staff puts in extra hours without pay on a daily basis. It’s difficult when you lack the funding.
SPS Teacher December 3, 2021 (6:45 pm)

Hi! I’m both a school teacher for SPS and a mother to three young children. If you are experiencing such big feelings and are so disgruntled with public school, I’d love to see you and your family head to private school. Bye!
- Mel December 3, 2021 (8:21 pm)
  
  This seems like an uncalled for response. Can a parent not be concerned when a kindergartener walks over a mile home without anyone noticing? I don’t know the full story, but I do expect my children to be cared for when at school. That includes making sure they don’t wander off alone.
  - Really? December 3, 2021 (8:43 pm)
    
    Wow, here’s hoping that this isn’t the perspective of most SPS teachers. Any surprise more parents are choosing private school if they can with that blasé perspective? Not an ounce of empathy for the parents or accountability in that awful response. Mistakes happen. Schools need more support. Both facts don’t change how scary this must be for families who trust school staff to keep their children safe. Glad the student was found at home. Who knows if that might be the case if it happens again? Do better. Bye!
  - bill December 3, 2021 (8:56 pm)
    
    Get real. How many children is a kindergarten teacher responsible for? School lets out, kids are milling around in all directions, parents driving monster SUVs are blocking the roads, an assertive kindergartener takes off. This is more a matter of inadequate training of the kid by the parents than a lapse of responsibility by the teachers.
  - Really? December 3, 2021 (9:07 pm)
    
    Wow, I hope that isn’t the perspective of most SPS teachers. Mistakes happen. Schools need more support. Both facts don’t change how scary this must be for parents that trust school staff to keep their children safe. Glad the student was found at home. Who knows if that might be the case if it happens again?
  - Mary Poppins December 4, 2021 (12:11 pm)
    
    While you may think it’s harsh I fully agree with SPS teacher, the sole responsibility does not lay with the underpaid understaffed teachers. They are TEACHERS not parents or personal chauffeurs. They do what they can to make sure everyone is safe but it takes effort on all ends. What was the plan communicated to this child regarding its way home after school?! School staff are responsible for hundreds of children at one time, parents are responsible for their child(ren) and their child(ren) alone. Clear communication and plan making with your child is incredibly important so they can grow up to be self sufficient. Discuss your after school plans every morning, and always have a contingency plan so your child knows what to do if you don’t show up, and you’ll always know where to find them it’s pretty simple.
- Alki resident December 3, 2021 (9:13 pm)
  
  SPS teacher, are you kidding me? You completely lack empathy and any sort of common sense. I’m appalled at your comment. You better hope this never happens to your child.
- OneTimeCharley December 3, 2021 (10:32 pm)
  
  <sigh> Is it really a SPS teacher at all? Maybe, maybe not…save your emotions for when you know it’s something worthy of getting upset about…not just a troll for jollies. I hate the ethos expressed, but seriously doubt an actual SPS teacher would feel this way, much less put it out in a comments section. Trolls suck.
  - momosmom December 4, 2021 (6:44 am)
    
    @onetimecharley—–EXACTLY!
- Arch December 4, 2021 (5:21 am)
  
  For those (like myself) who are leaning toward private school instead of SPS, comments like this validate my feelings. Between this comment and others I’ve seen from Public school teachers recently, it scares me that you’re teaching children. Unless you are an internet troll as others suggest.
- Adam December 4, 2021 (7:15 am)
  
  This person is trolling. Don’t get caught up in this kind of comment board crap. Move onto the comments of substance and have real debate there.

CarDriver December 3, 2021 (8:41 pm)

Memories of days gone by. I walked the 10 blocks to and from Genesee Hill every day by myself from K thru 6th.

memory December 3, 2021 (10:53 pm)

One day another preschool kid and I somehow got lost from our group while on a field trip walk around the neighborhood. The other kid recognized his house and we ended up going there. I remember we didn’t know what to do, but we ate some maraschino cherries from his fridge. We were like 4, seemed like a good idea. Anyway, I don’t remember how we got back to the preschool, but when we returned, we were blamed, and spanked in front of the other kids, for not keeping with the group or following directions. Definitely not the right response, it was actually traumatic because we had been lost and didn’t mean to and were scared and then punished on top of it. But, just sharing to point out, attitudes sure have changed since the 70’s. I’m pretty sure that no helicopters were sent searching, no letters were written, no signs were waved, no one was fired over the incident. Yes, this kind of incident is concerning, especially for parents, I understand being upset and wanting some answers and assurances that this wouldn’t happen agai, but let’s also remember life doesn’t always go perfectly, and being outraged over honest mistakes, is exhausting. Maybe as humans we can try to differentiate between intentional harms and honest mistakes or follies, and respond more accordingly.