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With summer approaching, we are reviewing a situation that occurs sometimes
that always gives us pause, and we'd like to hear how other institutions
handle this.

It's closing time, and we have a 9 and a 10 year old kid still in the
building, frantically calling people for a ride, hoping someone will arrive
sooner or later. We've never had to go this far, but at what point does a
responsible staff person consider this child abandonment, and call the
police? Another situation-if a parent sneaks/runs out the entrance after
getting their young kids in the center, do we shrug our shoulders, and
figure their parent will return?

We have a policy that children must be attended by their adults, but what
does that signify to an adult set on dropping their kids off unchaperoned
for 4 hours?

Thank you for any advice or perspective on this!

Shane Pickett
Science Central

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