ATLANTA — A 6-year-old Atlanta Public Schools student was dropped off at the wrong after-school program Wednesday, and his mother says she had no idea where he was for nearly five hours.
Krystal Dillion says she arrived at her son’s usual daycare after work, expecting to pick him up, only to learn he had never arrived.
“I need to know where my son is at,” Dillion said.
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Dillion says her son attends Tuskegee Airmen Global Academy and is normally transported from the school to his after-school program. When she learned he was not at his daycare, she went to the school.
“We rush down to Tuskegee. I’m pounding on the window trying to get someone’s attention,” Dillion told Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter.
She says she eventually got inside the school and asked whether her son, Cash, was there.
“I come in and see all the kids standing on the stairs and I’m looking and I’m like is this all your kids that have you have? And [a school employee] says yes. And I say, ‘Cash isn’t here,’” she said.
Dillion says she called 911 and began describing her son to authorities.
“I full blown lost it,” she said.
Dillion says her son’s daycare owner eventually helped locate her child. She says he had been dropped off at a YMCA after-school program on Campbellton Road, a location he was not supposed to be attending.
The school day ended at 2:15 p.m., and Dillion says she did not get her son back until around 7 p.m.
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Dillion says her son told her he was scared and tried to tell adults he was on the wrong vehicle.
“He said, ‘Mommy. I didn’t know where I was and I was scared,’” Dillion said. “He kept saying, ‘Mommy, I tried to tell them this isn’t my van, this isn’t my van.’”
Dillion says she is frustrated by what happened.
“This is not a mistake,” she said. “The mistake is you accidentally forget to give him a snack. You lost my child.”
Atlanta Public Schools says it is investigating the incident. They shared a statement with Channel 2 Action News that read:
“Atlanta Public Schools takes the safety, security and well-being of our students very seriously. During dismissal yesterday at Tuskegee Airmen Global Academy, a student was mistakenly transported to an afterschool location other than the student’s designated site. Once the school was made aware of the situation, administrators responded immediately, and the student was safely reunited with their parent.
“The district is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident and reinforcing dismissal and afterschool transportation procedures to help prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future.”
— Atlanta Public Schools spokesperson
Dillion says she later learned there was another student named Cash, and school staff told her that may have contributed to the confusion.
The YMCA of Metro Atlanta also provided a statement:
“The YMCA of Metro Atlanta is aware of a recent situation in which a student was placed on the wrong after-school bus and transported to one of our after-school program sites. Once it became clear that the child had been transported to the incorrect location, our team acted promptly to ensure the child was safely reunited with their parents.
“The safety and well-being of every child in our care is our highest priority. Across the YMCA, and all after school programs we operate, we remain committed to providing a safe, nurturing and supportive environment.”
— YMCA of Metro Atlanta spokesperson
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