DIGHTON Dighton Elementary School has added two recess monitors and more fencing around its grounds since a 5-year-old walked away from recess Oct. 20, Dighton-Rehoboth Superintendent Bill Runey said.
Runey outlined the steps for South Coast 360 on Monday, Nov. 9, and said he would report them to the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School Committee at its meeting Tuesday, Nov. 10, set for 6:30 p.m. in the Dighton Middle School cafeteria, 1250R Somerset Ave., North Dighton. A written plan for what staff do when a student leaves supervision, which he called an elopement protocol, is with local law enforcement for review, and the district expects to finalize it by Friday, Nov. 13, he said.
Runey had announced the fence and an outside investigator at the committee's Oct. 27 meeting, where parents spoke about their concerns over staffing and safety, WPRI (12 News) reported. The permanent playground gate is still on order, Runey said, and the district has secured the opening in the meantime.
What has changed at the school
Since the incident, Runey said, the district has added two recess monitors to its existing supervision, brought in contracted support from registered behavior technicians, reviewed student caseloads and staffing needs, widened its search for paraprofessionals and installed more perimeter fencing.
"Our focus has been on strengthening supervision, staffing, student supports, physical safeguards, and response procedures while continuing to monitor whether additional adjustments are needed," Runey wrote.
The district developed the draft protocol itself and asked local law enforcement for feedback on it, Runey said, and expects implementation to begin early the week of Nov. 16.
South Coast 360 reached out to Dighton Police Chief George Nichols about the department's review of the draft protocol and will update this story with any response.
Because student and staff information must stay confidential, Runey said, the public update at Tuesday's meeting would cover the actions taken, the current safeguards and the next steps, not any individual student or employee.
Palmer River Elementary fencing
Runey also planned a separate update on fencing improvements at Palmer River Elementary School, at 326 Winthrop St. in Rehoboth, where the purchasing process is underway, he said.
How we got here
Runey told the committee Oct. 27 that the child wandered off during recess Oct. 20, and police found the child safe, WPRI reported. The district hired an outside investigator to examine what happened, whether staff followed expectations and who needs to be held accountable, and reported the incident to the state Department of Children and Families, Runey said, according to the station.
WJAR (NBC 10) reported Oct. 28 that the district was bringing back lunch and recess monitor positions it had eliminated in budget cuts, and that it hoped to finish a fence where the child left campus by the following week.
Our Oct. 29 story has Runey's remarks to the committee and his apology to the child's family.
Also on Tuesday's agenda
The committee's agenda, stamped received Nov. 6, also lists action items on the fiscal 2028 budget calendar, a change to the school adjustment counselor job description and two donation requests for Beckwith Middle School, plus an Advisory Finance Committee update in Runey's report. Runey said the job description change is minor and follows a change the state education department made to the role's minimum requirement.
The committee's Capital Subcommittee was set to meet at 5:30 p.m. in the middle school library to review a memo on planned capital projects, its agenda shows.
How to weigh in
The agenda sets aside time for public input, which it describes as a time for the committee to listen to comments on matters within its authority, not a dialogue. Speakers are asked to avoid personnel or student-specific issues and keep remarks to three minutes.
Families can reach the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District central office, 2700 Regional Road in North Dighton, at 508-252-5000.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
The corrective steps, the gate, the draft protocol and its Nov. 13 target, the limits on Tuesday's public update, the Palmer River Elementary fencing and the job description change come from Superintendent Bill Runey's written answer to our questions, received Monday, Nov. 9, and his quote is word for word from it. The meeting's time, place, agenda items and public input rules come from the district's own Nov. 10 agendas, and the central office address and phone from the agenda letterhead; Palmer River Elementary's address comes from the school's website. The Oct. 20 incident, the investigator, the report to the Department of Children and Families, the return of the monitor positions and the Oct. 27 meeting come from WJAR's Oct. 28 and WPRI's Oct. 29 reports, credited by name. We read the records on Nov. 10. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. The child is not named or described beyond the age officials gave, and no staff member is named.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (8)
- Written answer from Superintendent Bill Runey, Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District, Nov. 9, 2026Sent Monday, Nov. 9, 1:58 p.m., in answer to our Nov. 8 and Nov. 9 questions on the Nov. 10 School Committee meeting. The corrective steps since the incident (two recess monitors, contracted registered behavior technician support, the caseload and staffing review, paraprofessional recruiting, perimeter fencing), the permanent gate on order and the opening secured, the draft elopement protocol with law enforcement, the Nov. 13 target and implementation the following week, the confidentiality limits on the public update, the Palmer River Elementary fencing update, the job description change and his quoted comment. Received Nov. 9, 2026.
- Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District, School Committee meeting agenda, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, 6:30 p.m. (PDF, scanned)Posted on the district's Agenda and Minutes page; received stamp Nov. 6, 3:50 p.m. Meeting time and place, the superintendent's report items (Dighton Elementary update, Advisory FinCom update), the action items (FY28 budget calendar, school adjustment counselor job description, two Beckwith Middle School donation requests), the public input rules; central office address and phone on the letterhead. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
- Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District, Capital Subcommittee meeting agenda, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, 5:30 p.m. (PDF, scanned)Dighton Middle School library; planned capital projects memo. Received stamp Nov. 6, 3:50 p.m. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
- Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District, Agenda and Minutes pageLinks to both Nov. 10 agendas; rechecked for new postings. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
- Palmer River Elementary School: school websiteAddress, 326 Winthrop Street, Rehoboth. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
- WPRI (12 News), "Investigator hired after 5-year-old child wanders off during recess in Dighton" (Oct. 29, 2026)Runey's Oct. 27 remarks to the committee: the outside investigator and its scope, the fence by the following week, the DCF self-report; parents' comments on staffing and safety. Reread Nov. 10, 2026 from our Nov. 3 saved copy.
- WJAR (NBC 10), "5-year-old walks off Dighton school playground, prompting apology and safety changes" (Oct. 28, 2026)First report Oct. 28; the child found safe by police; the lunch and recess monitor positions being brought back after budget cuts; the fence the district hoped to install within a week; the investigation guiding further action. Reread Nov. 10, 2026 from our Nov. 3 saved copy.
- South Coast 360: Dighton Elementary gets a playground fence by next week after 5-year-old left recess, superintendent says (Oct. 29, 2026)Our earlier story on the Oct. 27 meeting.