A 6-year-old boy wandered away from a supervised playground at Plattekill Elementary School Monday afternoon, setting off a frantic, multi-agency search that ended about an hour later when he was found safe — but wet — in wooded terrain behind a neighboring church.
Wallkill Central School District Superintendent Anthony White said the boy left the playground around 1 p.m. Monday and made his way into a wooded area adjacent to the school in Plattekill, Ulster County, according to News12 Hudson Valley. School staff notified the main office and the school resource officer by radio once they realized the child was missing, White told the outlet.
Plattekill Police, Ulster County Sheriff's deputies and New York State Police all converged on the surrounding woods, and authorities established a command center behind Our Lady of Fatima Church, which sits at 1250 Route 32 — directly adjacent to the elementary school on the same roadway, according to the church and the Wallkill Central School District. Responders deployed ATVs, a sheriff's K-9 unit and a drone as they combed the terrain, the district's account of the incident shows.
Found Safe, But Soaked, Behind the Church
The boy was located safe in a wooded area behind the church about an hour after he was reported missing, but he was wet when searchers found him. Plattekill Police said the wooded area contains patches of muddy water and a nearby creek. It remains unclear whether the boy entered the water at any point, per the same account relayed to the station.
EMS evaluated the child at the scene, and the district said the evaluation did not result in any medical treatment being needed. Plattekill Elementary enrolled roughly 426 students in Pre-K through sixth grade during the 2024–2025 school year, with a student-to-teacher ratio of about 11 to 1, according to New York Gazetteer data on the campus.
Parents Rattled by How Quickly He Slipped Away
Word of the search rippled quickly through the close-knit district. One mother told the station she received communication from the school about the missing student and immediately feared it was her own child. “My kid is there. I was actually concerned thinking it was him,” she said, according to News12's reporting. She said her son later wondered why he had not been allowed to go back outside to play that afternoon.
A grandmother who has lived in the district for 20 years questioned how a child could slip away undetected in the first place. “How could a child be missing? I know they have more than one teacher out there,” she said, per the same account. Both the mother and grandmother asked that their identities not be disclosed, and both expressed relief that the boy was found safe.
District Reviewing Playground Supervision Protocols
White said the district is now reviewing how the student was able to leave the playground in the first place. Students are supervised during recess by staff members equipped with radios that connect to the main office and the school resource officer, the district's account notes — the same system that staff used to raise the alarm once the boy went missing. District officials said they will meet with those involved in the incident to determine whether additional safety measures are needed.
Plattekill Police have also planned a debriefing with school officials for this week, according to the station's report. The review falls under New York State's Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act, which requires public school districts to maintain building-level emergency response plans, review safety procedures annually, and keep clear emergency communication protocols in place, per New York State Comptroller guidance on the law.
Nicole Parete was appointed acting principal at Plattekill Elementary. White took over as superintendent in late 2025 after longtime superintendent Kevin Castle retired, having previously served as the district's assistant superintendent of educational services since 2021, per Times Hudson Valley. The district operates five public schools serving about 3,000 students across Ulster and Orange counties and caps elementary class sizes at 25 students, according to Ballotpedia.
The Search Effort
Searchers deployed ATVs, a K-9 team and a drone during the roughly hourlong search in the wooded area behind the church.
The district's review will examine how the student was able to leave the playground and whether additional safety measures are needed.
