School allowed 6-year-old to walk home alone

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Ask 6-year-old Dawson Hackney what happened, and he mumbles his response. He simply can't explain it. But his parents are looking for answers. 

"I'm concerned that the supervision isn't where it needs to be," his mother, Keisha Hackney said.

Dawson was a student at Brookview Elementary in Jacksonville. He usually rides a van after school to a day care facility, but on Tuesday he walked home, crossing busy St. Johns Bluff Road and Atlantic Boulevard.

"Two things crossed my mind: What if he was hit by a car or what if someone had picked him up?" said Hackney.

She said a friend recognized her 6-year-old son and picked him up near a car dealership about a mile from the school and a mile from his home.

His father, meanwhile, left his job early after learning that his son was not at day care and no one at the school could tell him where Dawson was.

"I called 911 to start looking for him. I did not know what to do," said Donald Hackney. The family has filed a police report and is consulting an attorney.

The Duval School Board is investigating the incident. District spokesperson Jill Johnson said Dawson apparently got in the line of "walkers" instead of the line for bus riders.

"We are reviewing our policies to ensure the safety of our students," Johnson said.

The Hackneys are still terrified by what could have happened to their son and are relieved he is alright.

According to the school board's policy, parents file a dismissal form with the school so that staff can direct students at the end of the school day. Usually that means separate lines are created for students who walk and for those who ride.

All indications are Dawson got in the wrong line and no one realized it until he was reported missing. 

"I got lucky, he got lucky, the school got lucky. They have a problem and need to fix it now," Keisha Hackney said. "My son will not be returning to that school."