Parents Concerned After 8-Year-Old Wanders Away From East Harlem School

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- An 8-year-old boy was found after running away from his school.

As CBS2's Jessica Layton reported, he wandered away from P.S. 30 and was missing for at least half an hour.

Police said he was being bullied and left the building in frustration.

He was eventually found a couple blocks away, but was out in the cold without a coat.

A CBS2 news team on the scene saw an ambulance waiting outside of the school, which then left to take the child to the hospital to be checked out.

Teachers in the building said an announcement was made about the missing child, and things became tense.

Parents found out about the boy's disappearance as they picked up their kids, and wanted to know how something like this could happen.

"I know school safety is supposed to watch them, and make sure they're not leaving. That's sad," one parent said.

"There are alarms on there, so I don't know how he got out. I just heard the announcement and that was it," assistant teacher Jay Michaels said.

"What's going on with security and who is responsible for the child while they're in school? That's their second home, and they're supposed to feel safe there," parent Aisha Vereen said.

The Department of Education told CBS2 the school followed protocol in addressing the incident and it was immediately reported to the NYPD. As for specific questions regarding how the student left the building without anyone noticing and how long the student was gone, the DOE declined to elaborate.

Police have not said what condition the boy was in when he was found, but did say he was taken to the hospital to be checked out.