Teachers Leave Boy, 5, Stranded in Tree Because of School Policy

A 5-year-old British boy was stranded in a tree for 45 minutes while teachers followed school policy requiring them to "observe from a distance" instead of rescue him, the DailyMail.com reported.

The student was rescued from the tree when passer-by Kim Barrett saw him and helped him down.

But, school officials then reported the 38-year-old Barrett to police because they said she "approached the school in an inappropriate way."

"I stopped to ask him if he was OK, and it became clear that he'd been there since the end of playtime, which had been around half an hour earlier," Barrett told the Daily Mail. "I was immediately concerned. I walked over to the school with the boy and was met by the associate head. He didn't appear at all concerned, and was actually very patronizing, patting me on the arm and asking me, 'What do you expect me to do, exactly, dear?'"

The school confirmed they have a policy that prohibits staff from helping children who have climbed trees, in part because they don't want the child to get "distracted and fall."

Click here to read more on this story from the DailyMail.com.