NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Several parents are furious after, they said, their children were forgotten at the Youth Fair while on a field trip. In total, 13 students were left behind.
“I was so scared,” Jahkeam Moore said. “My teacher was gone,” he said.
Six-year-old Jahkeam was safe and sound Thursday morning, one day after he was forgotten on that field trip.
His kindergarten class from Charles R. Drew K-8 Center in Northwest Miami-Dade on Wednesday made their way to the fair on the bus for some food and fun.
Jahkeam’s godmother, however, told 7News that 13 students were also left at the fair when the school bus initially took off.
“The school bus did turn around and pick up eight of them,” she said. ” A parent did leave with two, and then my godson and two others in the vehicle with this one parent.”
A bus returned to pick up eight kids, but five other students found their own way back to the school.
“There’s many red flags with this, and it’s totally unacceptable,” said the godmother.
The parent who drove Jahkeam back to campus told 7News that she was not an approved chaperone for the trip, and she simply went to the fair on her own account to watch her son, who was also on the field trip.
She said, at some point, the teacher left Jahkeam with her.
Latasha Jones, Jahkeam’s mother, said she wants answers on how the bus left her child behind.
“I want to know how did my child get left at the fair,” said Jones. “When I signed that field trip form, he was supposed to stay with his teacher, not go off with a parent that’s not even a chaperone on a field trip. I’m still angry.”
Jahkeam’s godmother told 7News that Jahkeam was up at 4 a.m. thinking about the incident. She also said that there were red flags regarding the situation, and several unanswered questions remain.
“He just embraced me, he told me and said how scared and afraid he was because, even though he knows the parent’s son, he did not know the parent at all. That was his first time,” said Jahkeam’s godmother.
She now wants those responsible for leaving her godson and those 12 other students to he held accountable.
“Just from one parent to another, I just think the proper protocol was not done when it comes to doing head counts, when it comes to ensuring that every child is on the bus,” she said. “They basically just told the bus driver, you know, gave the clear, the OK, and they left.”
The school district released a statement following the incident.
“Miami-Dade County Public Schools is deeply concerned to learn that several students from Charles R. Drew K-8 Center returned to their school from a field trip with a parent instead of their assigned bus. We are looking into the matter and will take appropriate action.”
MDCPS
For now, Jahkeam’s family is happy that he is OK, but his mother wants to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“This is very frustrating because what if my son never made it back to me. Then, what answers would they have for me?” said Jones.
As of Thursday afternoon, no action has been taken by the school district related to the field trip.
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