Richmond Montessori School under state scrutiny after toddler walks into road, saved by driver

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The Richmond Montessori School was in violation of multiple state policies when a toddler wandered into traffic in the fall of 2024. In the wake of these violations, the school is under a provisional license that will expire if the state's standards are not met.

The Richmond Montessori School is a child day center in Henrico County that serves children ages 18 months to just under 13 years old.

The morning of Nov. 22, 2024, an unidentified toddler was almost hit by a car on Parham Road after he wandered away from his class. He was saved by a "Good Samaritan," per a statement made by the school at the time.

In the wake of this incident, the Virginia Department of Social Services (DSS) performed an inspection on the Richmond Montessori School in Dec. 2024. In the subsequent report, state inspectors detailed the four standards that had been violated by the school both during the incident and immediately afterward.

An overview of the incident and reported violations

The DSS learned that the involved toddler -- who was just under two and a half years old at the time of the incident -- was "known by the center to explore independently" and "nature walks had been limited due to concerns related to the child."

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It was while the class was on one such nature walk that the child wandered away, according to the DSS. Two staff members were with the class -- made up of seven children -- and neither of them noticed he was gone.

"[The toddler] was out of sight and sound supervision of staff for an undetermined length of time because [the two staff members] were unaware [he] was missing from the group," the DSS said.

Drivers on Parham Road then reportedly observed the toddler walking into the road. A driver stepped in and saved him before he could be hit by oncoming traffic. That driver then reunited the child with his class.

The Richmond Montessori School in Henrico County, as seen from Parham Road. (Photo: Rolynn Wilson/8News)

This series of events led inspectors to determine that the Richmond Montessori School had violated three state standards.

The Richmond Montessori School has an internal policy that states "children 10 and under must be within sight and sound of a staff person at all times" and that staff should "be alert to children that tend to wander and keep an especially watchful eye on them," according to the DSS.

One of the state's standards is that any given facility must ensure that its activities and services are maintained in compliance with its own internal policies. As the Richmond Montessori School did not comply with the internal policy described above, inspectors stated this was a violation.

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The next two violations were similar in nature. As the child was in danger of being harmed, the DSS said the school violated the standard on "[ensuring children's] care, protection and guidance" while they are in a given facility's care.

Then, as the child was unsupervised at the time of the incident, the DSS said the school violated the standard that states "children under 10 years of age must always be within actual sight and sound supervision of staff."

The fourth and final violation occurred in the aftermath of the incident. According to the DSS, while the incident took place just after 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 22, 2024, the toddler's parents were not informed of what happened until the evening of Nov. 23, 2024 -- more than 24 hours later.

This is in violation of the state's standard that dictates "the center or other appropriate official shall notify the parent immediately if a child is lost."

The Richmond Montessori School's response

The Richmond Montessori School fired the two involved staff members. It also temporarily suspended outdoor activities conducted outside of a fenced area, added more fencing in general and gave staff "additional safety training."

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8News reached out to the Richmond Montessori School for comment on the state's inspection and the related violations. A spokesperson provided the following statement:

"The inspection report from the [state] supports the findings of the independent third-party investigation Richmond Montessori School initiated after a student separated from his class and entered into traffic on Parham Road last November. We are preparing our plan of correction (POC) response to be submitted to [the state,] which will be made publicly available in the required timeframe.

To be abundantly clear, RMS communicated with parents and families as soon as the information about what happened was shared with us, and this will be included in our DOE plan of correction response. Our third-party investigation found failures to adhere to school policies by staff, including reporting failures. The full details of that report are internal. Our plan of correction response will also include the enhanced and ongoing staff training we are conducting to highlight staff responsibilities and expectations. What occurred was a near tragedy that never should have happened. We are fully committed to making sure nothing like this can ever happen again." Spokesperson for Richmond Montessori School

8News asked if the spokesperson could elaborate on the claim that Richmond Montessori School communicated with families "as soon as the information about what happened was shared," as the DSS' report found there was a delay. The spokesperson answered by repeating the part of the initial statement that mentioned staff "reporting failures."

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8News then asked if the spokesperson was saying that the two involved staff members did not tell school administration about the toddler wandering off right away.

"That sounds like a reasonable deduction to me," the spokesperson said.

How the school plans to prevent similar incidents

Following the DSS' inspection report, the Richmond Montessori School was told to create and submit a "Plan of Correction" (POC) -- a document outlining how the school will fix its violations and bring itself back into compliance.

Some of the actions taken and improvements made that the school mentioned in its POC include:

• An all-staff meeting was held, during which policies and procedures about child safety and supervision were discussed. A written reference document was also given to all staff.
  • This included a discussion of the importance of reporting incidents like this one immediately.
• Outdoor play safety guidelines were reviewed and updated.
• A perimeter fence was built around school property, with regular inspections planned to ensure it is functional and effective.
• Signs were posted throughout school property, reminding staff to keep gates closed and latched at all times.

The school said that it will consistently review such policies and procedures with its staff, as well as perform regular inspections of classrooms and outdoor areas to ensure compliance.

Fencing at the Richmond Montessori School in Henrico County. (Photo: Rolynn Wilson/8News)

Fencing at the Richmond Montessori School in Henrico County. (Photo: Rolynn Wilson/8News)

Fencing at the Richmond Montessori School in Henrico County. (Photo: Rolynn Wilson/8News)

A third-party safety audit was also conducted on the school at the direction of school leadership, which reportedly "found no immediate safety concerns," according to Richmond Montessori School.

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"However, if the final audit results identify any enhancements RMS could make to its current policies and procedures, those recommendations will be given due consideration," the school said in its POC.

What comes next for Richmond Montessori School?

Per the DSS, the Richmond Montessori School's license to operate is currently in a provisional status. That means the school's ability to continue functioning as a licensed child day center is dependent on whether or not it brings itself back into compliance with state standards.

This provisional license will expire on June 1.

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The Henrico County Police Division has been investigating this incident for some time. It previously told 8News in late January that no charges had been filed against anyone involved -- whether that be the two staff members or the school itself.

When we checked back in on Feb. 5, a police spokesperson said authorities "[could not] release information as it is part of an active investigation." It's unclear at this time if this means there has been a development in the case.

This is a developing story, stay with 8News for updates.