Buddy System Badly Needed: 4-Year-Old Left After School Field Trip

If you were ever left somewhere as a child or lost I am pretty sure you remember it to this day. I can remember getting lost when I was little and how utterly scary and confusing it was, and how upset my own mom was when I was found wandering our neighborhood with a friend. This happens to a lot of parents but it is a million times worse when it happens when you have entrusted your kid to the care of someone else, like this case involving an adorable 4-year-old who went on a school field trip. From The Daily Mail:

Jacqueline Whylly, of Minnesota, experienced any parent’s worst nightmare this week when she was told that her toddler son was left behind on a field trip.

Whylly’s son, 4-year-old AJ, was taken with his classmates to visit the Children’s Museum of South Dakota in Brookings Tuesday.

Teachers didn’t realize the toddler, who has speech impediment issues, was missing until they were back in Marshall, about an hour away.

To add insult to injury, Whylly said she had offered her son’s school officials to accompany the students on the trip, but was told that they had enough adults.

This has happened to me too and I am sure it has happened to a lot of you, being told there are enough chaperones and you wouldn’t be needed. I’m sure this was all just a mistake, but it’s a pretty big mistake and this school obviously needs better policies to make sure all these tiny kids are accounted for before driving an hour home. Sheesh. This mom must have been going out of her mind with worry. The school was reported to be having a meeting to go over field trip procedures, and they apologized to the mother. I’m just glad little A.J. got home okay.

And now we can all fret and worry because if your schools are like mine, we are hitting hardcore field trip season with the end of the year approaching. Time to get those chaperone requests filled in early!

(Photo: Facebook)