As a teacher’s aide at Central Elementary School, Candice Wallace rotated between the three preschool classrooms and knew most of the kids well. One of her responsibilities was to ensure that all the kids were dismissed correctly, either on a bus or with a designated person to pick them up.
Today, things were winding down, with most of the children gone from the foyer where they gathered for dismissal. She then noticed Ashley Conway standing against the wall, dressed in shorts, a T-shirt with cute baby bears on it, and with her backpack on. This far into the school year, Candice knew which parents were here early and which ones tended to be late, and Ashley was almost always one of the first to go and never one of the last.
Walking to the girl, Candice asked, “Ashley. Did your dad say an
