Wednesday afternoon, a 15-year-old girl with Cerebral Palsy was reported missing from Progress Village Middle School. She was located about 6 hours later by a custodian on the school campus.

Mrs. Carolyn Collins, President of the Hillsborough County Branch of the NAACP, said, “My telephone began blowing up from anonymous callers last night while I was in a meeting. People were concerned that the proper action had not been taken in handling the missing child.

“I was told that school personnel left before this child was safely located. I put forth the effort to contact the Chairman of the School Board, the School Administration, and I contacted the school. I was told there was an emergency going on at the school, when I called.

“But, as of this conversation, I have not been able to talk to anyone about what happened.”

On Thursday morning, an anonymous caller contacted the Sentinel and said that the child was upset because she had received an unacceptable report card. When her father arrived to sign her out of school, the secretary contacted her classroom, but the child never came to the office.

The caller said the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office was contacted and sent a helicopter, but were told that the girl had probably run away.

The caller further stated that the school personnel left at the end of the day before the child was located. Around 7 p.m., a custodian found the girl inside a room adjacent to the gymnasium. The caller said the child was unconscious when located and taken to the hospital.

Larry McKinnon, spokesman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, said that 8 or 9 deputies searched the area for the child for a couple of hours. He further stated that the room where she was located had been searched early and she was not there at the time the search was conducted.

Ms. Linda Cobbe, spokesperson for the School District said she was told that the girl had quarreled with her father over a cell phone and was upset.

“The school personnel and deputies searched the school and went into that room three times, but she was not there. The principal and another person went on the bus and talked to other students.”

Ms. Cobbe said it is untrue that everyone left because the school is never unoccupied. She also said that her book bag was located and given to her father, who was in the office the entire time the search was underway.

“She was found in the Harp Room by a custodian around 6:30 p.m., huddled under a blanket in the corner and she was not immediately responding. But, she did respond to EMT personnel. The school’s Assistant Principal and Guidance Counselor were there when she was found.

“The school took this incident seriously and they are convinced that she was hiding. She was back in school today and the principal did speak to her,” Ms. Cobbe said.

The Sentinel was unable to contact the family of the student.