Howard T. Ennis teacher charged after 3-year-old left unattended on playground

GEORGETOWN, Del. – A Delaware teacher has been charged after she allegedly left a student unattended on the playground last month.

According to Delaware State Police, the incident happened back on September 18th, when a 3-year-old student with a developmental delay was left unattended on the playground for several hours at the Howard T. Ennis School. Further investigation revealed that after recess, several students ran away from the 22-year-old teacher as she was trying to line the students up to leave the playground. One of those children was a 3-year-old student who allegedly ran from the line and sat under a piece of playground equipment while the teacher and other students left the playground.

The child was found after the mother called the school to report that her child did not come home on the bus.

On September 27th, the teacher was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child and was released on her own recognizance.

The Indian River School District released the following statement regarding the incident on Tuesday:

“The Indian River School District is aware of an incident involving a student at the Howard T. Ennis School that occurred on September 18. The district immediately initiated an investigation and is currently working with the family to resolve this matter. A school staff member has also been placed on unpaid leave in relation to this incident. State and federal laws protecting the privacy rights of students and staff prevent the district from commenting further on this issue.”