An Indianapolis mother wants answers after school staff allegedly left her 6-year-old daughter behind during a field trip. Dearra Allen’s daughter, Cianni Dungy, went to Tuttle Orchards with her first-grade class from Christel House West Academy on October 16. Shockingly, staff from Tuttle Orchards allegedly contacted school staff to let them know Cianni did not get on the bus.
The incident angered Allen, who told Fox News Digital that she pulled her daughter from the school after officials couldn’t explain how they managed to leave Cianni behind. Thankfully, Cianni is physically OK, but her mother said the incident scared her.
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Cianni told her mom that no one called her name.
According to Cianni, Allen told Fox News Digital that no one came to get her to get on the bus.
“Cianni said she just kept playing because he never called [her] name. Well, then she said she looked up a little later, and she noticed that everybody was gone,” Allen said.
Thankfully, an adult noticed Cianni was alone and tried to help.
“She said this lady came out of nowhere and was like, ‘Hey, what’s wrong? Are you OK?’ and she was like, ‘My school left me,'” Allen said.
School staff called Allen's mother to notify her that Cianni was not at school.
Per Southwest News Service via the New York Post, school staff contacted Cianni’s emergency contacts and contacted Allen’s mother. According to Allen, Cianni’s classmates got on the bus and returned to school 26 miles from Tuttle Orchards. Apparently, no one noticed Cianni didn’t get on the bus with them. “We were sitting there, trying to understand how this could happen,” Allen told SWNS.
Allen said the school did not give her an adequate explanation.
According to the mother, the family got to Cianni’s school before she returned. The teacher allegedly told the mother she didn’t see Cianni before they left the orchard.
“Her teacher was there, saying, ‘I did a head count, and everyone was accounted for. I didn’t see Cianni or her pumpkin, so I thought she was already on the bus.’ How do you leave an entire child behind and not realize it?” Allen asked.
The incident scared the little girl.
Understandably, the incident frightened Cianni. She told SWNS she didn’t know if she’d ever see her family again.
“I was scared,” Cianni said. “When I was by myself, I said, ‘Where’s my teacher? And I looked in the apple orchard and the pumpkin orchard.”
Allen told SWNS she won’t back down. “I’m not letting this go. I’ve contacted four lawyers, and I’m pushing this out to the press. This needs to be heard. Teachers aren’t doing proper head counts, and these chaperones — parents who already have their own biases — are responsible for our kids,” she said.
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The school district said it's committed to student safety.
In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, the school district recognized the field trip situation and tried to ensure parents that their children were safe in their care.
“Christel House is committed to the safety and well-being of all of our students. As soon as staff identified the situation, they took immediate steps to ensure the safety and well-being of the student,” the statement asserted. “We work closely with families to provide full support to address any concerns they may have. The trust placed in us by our families and community is of utmost importance, and we are dedicated to upholding that trust with the highest standards of care and responsibility.”
The mom isn’t satisfied. “I couldn’t believe this happened,” Allen told SWNS. “Cianni’s dad was furious. He talked to the principal, but I couldn’t even focus. I was too busy holding my daughter.”
